Trump Defends Covid And Polio Vaccines While Also Defending RFK Jr.

Politico: Trump Is Back To Touting His Covid Shot
A day after senators of both parties rebuked his health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., for restricting access to Covid vaccines at a congressional hearing, President Donald Trump praised them, along with some other shots, during an Oval Office event. “A lot of people think that Covid is amazing,” Trump said, referencing the vaccine, not the disease. “You know, there are many people that believe strongly in that.” (Paun, 9/5)

The Hill: Trump Defends RFK Jr. ‘He’s A Different Kind Of A Guy’
President Trump on Sunday defended Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has come under increasing criticism from Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill over his handling of vaccines and other issues. Trump has given somewhat conflicting messages over the last several days about Kennedy, defending his Cabinet member while also defending vaccines, including those for polio and COVID. (Swanson, 9/7)

More on RFK Jr. —

The Washington Post: Doubts About RFK Jr. Grow For Some Republicans
Seven months after they voted to confirm longtime anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the nation’s health secretary, some Republican senators are having second thoughts. “I’m a doctor. Vaccines work,” Sen. John Barrasso (Wyoming), the Senate’s No. 2 Republican, told Kennedy at a hearing Thursday on Capitol Hill. “Secretary Kennedy, in your confirmation hearings, you promised to uphold the highest standards for vaccines. Since then, I’ve grown deeply concerned.” (Diamond, Meyer and Roubein, 9/7)

The Hill: Republican Senator Defends RFK Jr. From Democratic, GOP Criticism On Vaccines
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) on Sunday defended Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. days after senators from both parties offered pointed questions about a vaccine policy-related shake-up at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Marshall told host Margaret Brennan of CBS’s “Face the Nation” that Kennedy was chosen to be a “disruptor to the CDC,“ and that is exactly what he is doing. (Limon, 9/7)

AP: RFK. Jr's Family Members Call Him 'Threat' To Americans' Health And Want Him To Resign
Members of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s family are calling for him to step down as health secretary following a contentious congressional hearing this past week, during which the Trump Cabinet official faced bipartisan questioning about his tumultuous leadership of federal health agencies. Kennedy’s sister, Kerry Kennedy, and his nephew, Joseph P. Kennedy III, issued scathing statements Friday, calling for him to resign as head of the Health and Human Services Department. (9/6)

On vaccine access —

NBC News: For Some, Medicare Isn't Covering The Updated Covid Vaccine Yet
Some older Americans on Medicare are facing an unexpected problem: The updated Covid shots — approved last month by the Food and Drug Administration for all adults 65 and up — aren’t being covered, forcing them to decide whether to pay out of pocket. Allison Engel, 74, said she visited her CVS in Pasadena, California, on Tuesday, where she was told the shot would cost $225 out of pocket. “They typed everything in, and handed me a rejection letter,” Engel said. “They told me it wasn’t in the Medicare system yet and I should come back in two weeks.” (Lovelace Jr., 9/5)

The Washington Post: Covid Vaccines Difficult To Find For Many Americans Despite RFK Jr.’s Assurances
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told senators last week that anyone can get a new coronavirus vaccine. But many Americans are finding the opposite. Confusion is rippling through the health care system as pharmacies and doctors try to adjust to providing a vaccine that is no longer broadly recommended. Americans’ experiences vary widely, from easily booking appointments to having to cross state lines to access the shots, according to more than 3,200 submissions to The Washington Post’s request for readers to share their experiences. (Ovalle and Winfield Cunningham, 9/7)

AP: Florida's Plan To Drop School Vaccine Rule Won't Start For 90 Days
Florida’s plan to drop school vaccine mandates likely won’t take effect for 90 days and would include only chickenpox and a few other illnesses unless lawmakers decide to extend it to other diseases, like polio and measles, the health department said Sunday. The department responded to a request for details, four days after Florida’s surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, said the state would become the first to make vaccinations voluntary and let families decide whether to inoculate their children. (White, 9/7)

CNN: West Virginia Has The Best Kindergarten Vaccination Rates In The Nation. A Legal Fight Backed By RFK Jr. Could Threaten That 
When it comes to health, West Virginia is used to being on the wrong end of the numbers. But on childhood vaccination rates, it’s a standout. During the 2023-24 school year, more than 98% of kindergarteners in West Virginia were vaccinated against diseases such as measles, pertussis and chickenpox, making it first in the nation, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Goodman, 9/5)

CIDRAP: US COVID Levels May Be Peaking, CDC Data Show
COVID-19 appears to be peaking in many parts of the country amid low respiratory illness activity overall, according to today's respiratory illness update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nationally, the CDC's COVID-19 surveillance data show test positivity for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) is 10.8%, down from last week's peak of 11.6%. But the percentage of emergency departments visits diagnosed as COVID-19 rose slightly, from 1.5% to 1.6%, and are elevated in children ages 0 to 4 and 5 to 17 years. (Dall, 9/5)

Also —

KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘What The Health?’: On Capitol Hill, RFK Defends Firings At CDC 
Just days after his firing of the brand-new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a defiant Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. secretary of health and human services, defended that action and others before a sometimes skeptical Senate Finance Committee. Criticism of Kennedy’s increasingly anti-vaccine actions came not just from Democrats on the panel but from some Republicans who are also medical doctors. (Rovner, 9/5)

KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘On Air’: Journalists Discuss Fallout Of CDC Turmoil And Recap Bitter RFK Senate Hearing
Céline Gounder, KFF Health News’ editor-at-large for public health, discussed recommendations for covid-19 vaccinations for children on NPR’s “Morning Edition” on Aug. 20. Gounder then discussed the infant mortality crisis in Mississippi on CBS News’ “CBS Evening News Plus” on Aug. 22. She also discussed the resignation of top Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials after the ousting of agency director Susan Monarez on CBS News’ “CBS Mornings” on Aug. 28. (9/6)