The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's revamped vaccine advisory panel began its closely watched two-day meeting on Wednesday, its first since Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed all of its members and installed a new panel,

ATLANTA — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new vaccine advisers began their first meeting Wednesday under intense scrutiny from medical experts worried about Americans’ access to lifesaving shots.

The panel’s recommendations carry significant weight. Insurance companies and government programs such as Medicaid are required to cover the costs of recommended vaccines.