MINNEAPOLIS — In a notable shift, a CDC advisory panel voted Friday to end universal recommendations for the COVID-19 vaccine , instead encouraging Americans of all ages to consult with health care providers before receiving the shot.

The panel, known as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), did not go as far as requiring prescriptions to obtain the vaccines. However, the committee members — appointed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. — endorsed the concept of "shared clinical decision-making" for kids six months and older, as well as adults.

The decision may have more of a limited impact in Minnesota, a state that is not bound to the ACIP's recommendations. Within hours of the panel's vote on the COVID vaccine, the Minnesota Department of

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