[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 239 (Friday, December 11, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 80108]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-27454]



[[Page 80108]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Docket No. CDC-2020-0124]


Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice of meeting and request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), announces the 
following meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices 
(ACIP). This meeting is open to the public. The meeting will be webcast 
live via the World Wide Web.

DATES: The meeting will be held on December 18, 2020 from 12 p.m. to 6 
p.m., EST and December 20, 2020 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., EST (times 
subject to change, see the ACIP website for any updates: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html).
    Written comments must be received on or before December 21, 2020.

ADDRESSES: For more information on ACIP please visit the ACIP website: 
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html.
    You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2020-0124 by 
any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Docket No. CDC-2020-0124, c/o Attn: December 18 and 
20, 2020 ACIP Meeting, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 
Clifton Road NE, MS H24-8, Atlanta, GA 30329-4027.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the Agency name 
and Docket Number. All relevant comments received in conformance with 
the https://www.regulations.gov suitability policy will be posted 
without change to https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal 
information provided. For access to the docket to read background 
documents or comments received, go to https://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephanie Thomas, ACIP Committee 
Management Specialist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, 1600 Clifton 
Road NE, MS-H24-8, Atlanta, GA 30329-4027; Telephone: 404-639-8367; 
Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with 41 CFR 102-3.150(b), less 
than 15 calendar days' notice is being given for this meeting due to 
the exceptional circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic and rapidly 
evolving COVID-19 vaccine development and regulatory processes. The 
Secretary of Health and Human Services has determined that COVID-19 is 
a Public Health Emergency. A notice of this ACIP meeting has also been 
posted on CDC's ACIP website at: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html. In addition, CDC has sent notice of this ACIP meeting by 
email to those who subscribe to receive email updates about ACIP.
    Purpose: The committee is charged with advising the Director, CDC, 
on the use of immunizing agents. In addition, under 42 U.S.C. 1396s, 
the committee is mandated to establish and periodically review and, as 
appropriate, revise the list of vaccines for administration to vaccine-
eligible children through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, 
along with schedules regarding dosing interval, dosage, and 
contraindications to administration of vaccines. Further, under 
provisions of the Affordable Care Act, section 2713 of the Public 
Health Service Act, immunization recommendations of the ACIP that have 
been approved by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention and appear on CDC immunization schedules must be covered by 
applicable health plans.
    Matters To Be Considered: The agenda will include discussions on 
COVID-19 vaccine. A recommendation vote(s) is scheduled. Agenda items 
are subject to change as priorities dictate. For more information on 
the meeting agenda visit https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/meetings/meetings-info.html.
    Meeting Information: The meeting will be webcast live via the World 
Wide Web; for more information on ACIP please visit the ACIP website: 
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html.

Public Participation

    Interested persons or organizations are invited to participate by 
submitting written views, recommendations, and data. Please note that 
comments received, including attachments and other supporting materials 
are part of the public record and are subject to public disclosure. Do 
not include any information in your comment or supporting materials 
that you consider confidential or inappropriate for public disclosure. 
If you include your name, contact information, or other information 
that identifies you in the body of your comments, that information will 
be on public display. CDC will review all submissions and may choose to 
redact, or withhold, submissions containing private or proprietary 
information such as Social Security numbers, medical information, 
inappropriate language, or duplicate/near duplicate examples of a mass-
mail campaign. CDC will carefully consider all comments submitted into 
the docket. CDC does not accept comment by email.
    Written Public Comment: Written comments must be received on or 
before December 21, 2020. Oral Public Comment: This meeting will 
include time for members of the public to make an oral comment. Oral 
public comment will occur before any scheduled votes including all 
votes relevant to the ACIP's Affordable Care Act and Vaccines for 
Children Program roles. Priority will be given to individuals who 
submit a request to make an oral public comment before the meeting 
according to the procedures below.
    Procedure for Oral Public Comment: All persons interested in making 
an oral public comment at the December 20, 2020 ACIP meeting must 
submit a request at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/meetings/ no later 
than 11:59 p.m., EST, December 18, 2020 according to the instructions 
provided.
    If the number of persons requesting to speak is greater than can be 
reasonably accommodated during the scheduled time, CDC will conduct a 
lottery to determine the speakers for the scheduled public comment 
session. CDC staff will notify individuals regarding their request to 
speak by email by 12:00 p.m., EST, December 19, 2020. To accommodate 
the significant interest in participation in the oral public comment 
session of ACIP meetings, each speaker will be limited to 3 minutes, 
and each speaker may only speak once per meeting.
    The Director, Strategic Business Initiatives Unit, Office of the 
Chief Operating Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
has been delegated the authority to sign Federal Register notices 
pertaining to announcements of meetings and other committee management 
activities, for both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and 
the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

Kalwant Smagh,
Director, Strategic Business Initiatives Unit, Office of the Chief 
Operating Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2020-27454 Filed 12-9-20; 4:15 pm]
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