Health Advisory Committee
Voting members: Dawn Smith, Thomas Latchney, Dr. Nancy McGuire, Holly Austing
Non-voting members: Commissioner Wes Nakagiri, Lindsay Kalberer
Current Public Statement
The Committee has released a statement concerning engineering controls on the prevention of communicable diseases. Learn more about the issue and how we’ve advised the Board.
Mission Statement:
The mission of the Health Advisory Board is to serve as a fact-finding and advisory body for the Livingston County Board of Commissioners (BOC) and the Board of Health (BOH). We are committed to providing balanced recommendations that respect both public health and individual constitutional liberties. By evaluating a wide array of scientific literature-including conventional, alternative, herbal and nutritional medicine-we aim to inform and guide the BOC and BOH on their health policy determinations. Our role is not to make decisions but rather to offer thoughtful, evidence-based education, thereby facilitating informed decisions.
Health Advisory Committee Position Statement on COVID-19 Vaccination in Healthy Populations
June 17, 2025
After a comprehensive review of current data and scientific literature, the Health Advisory Committee has determined that we do not recommend routine COVID-19 vaccination for healthy individuals, including:
- Infants and young children
- Adolescents
- Pregnant women
- Otherwise healthy adults without underlying risk factors
- Individuals with underlying health conditions should consult with their advanced healthcare provider.
Rationale
- Risk-Benefit Assessment: Available data suggest that for healthy individuals—particularly children, adolescents, and pregnant women—the risk of severe illness or complications from COVID-19 is low. Conversely, reported adverse events, though rare, present a level of risk that may outweigh the expected benefits in these lower-risk groups.
- Efficacy Concerns in Preventing Transmission: Current evidence indicates that while COVID-19 vaccines reduce the risk of severe disease in vulnerable populations, their ability to prevent infection or onward transmission is limited, particularly with emerging variants.
- Limited Long-Term Safety Data: Longitudinal safety data for newer mRNA vaccines, especially in healthy pediatric and prenatal populations, remain limited. The absence of long-term data restricts our ability to fully assess risks in these groups.
- Alternative Strategies: For healthy populations, we recommend continuing with risk-reduction strategies such as maintaining general hygiene, supporting natural immunity where appropriate, and prioritizing access to advice from advanced healthcare providers for high-risk individuals.
Conclusion
This recommendation is based on current evidence and may evolve as more data become available. We remain committed to ongoing review and encourage transparency, robust data collection, and open scientific discourse. Public health decisions should continue to be guided by rigorous risk-benefit analyses tailored to specific population groups.