Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
RFK Jr. Scoffs At Pediatrics Group For Still Encouraging Covid Vaccines
Politico: RFK Jr. Attacks Pediatricians’ Group Over Vaccine Recommendations
The gloves are off in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s feud with American doctors. Hours after the American Academy of Pediatrics, the professional society for doctors who care for children, issued Covid-19 vaccine guidance contradicting that of the health secretary, Kennedy accused the group of engaging in a “pay-to-play scheme to promote commercial ambitions of AAP’s Big Pharma benefactors” in a post on social media platform X. (Friedman, 8/19)
MedPage Today: No New Evidence To Support HHS Vaccine Changes, 'Shadow' Group Says
A sweeping review by the Vaccine Integrity Project (VIP) suggests no new evidence that would prompt the recent changes to fall COVID vaccine recommendations made by HHS. During a livestreamed meeting, members of the project presented evidence reviews for vaccination against three respiratory viruses in three specific populations: pregnant people, children, and those who are immunocompromised. (Fiore, 8/19)
CIDRAP: Vaccine Integrity Project Presents Reassuring Data On Vaccines For Upcoming Respiratory Virus Season
Today, the Vaccine Integrity Project of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota presented reassuring data from its comprehensive evidence review on the safety and efficacy of the US influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19 vaccines ahead of the upcoming respiratory virus season. CIDRAP is the publisher of CIDRAP News. In April, CIDRAP launched the VIP to gather the latest evidence on vaccine effectiveness and safety for medical societies such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to draft and communicate their own guidelines independently. (Van Beusekom, 8/19)
CNBC: New Study Casts Doubts On RFK Jr.'s Reasons For Gutting Vaccine Panel
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently gutted a key government vaccine panel, saying it was necessary to eliminate what he called “persistent conflicts of interest” on the committee. But new research from the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics appears to challenge that argument. Conflicts on that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel had been at “historic lows for years” before Kennedy restacked it with new members, some of whom are widely known vaccine critics, the researchers found. (Constantino, Coombs and Capoot, 8/19)
KFF Health News: Kennedy’s Anti-Vaccine Strategy Risks Forcing Shots Off Market, Manufacturers Warn
Dining under palm trees on a patio at Mar-a-Lago in December, President-elect Donald Trump reassured chief executives at pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly and Pfizer that anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wouldn’t be a radical choice to head the Department of Health and Human Services. “I think he’s going to be much less radical than you would think,” Trump said later that month during a news conference at his Palm Beach, Florida, resort. Eight months have passed, and Kennedy is intensifying his attacks on the vaccine system. (Armour, 8/20)
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Stateline: Should Pregnant Women Get COVID Vaccines? State Officials Encourage It
Heading into respiratory illness season, states and clinicians are working to encourage pregnant patients to get COVID-19 vaccinations, even though the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services no longer recommends that they should. Along with being older and having an underlying health condition, pregnancy itself is a risk factor. Pregnant women are more vulnerable to developing severe illness from COVID-19. They’re also at high risk for complications, including preterm labor and stillbirth. The vast majority of medical experts say getting the shot is safe and effective — much safer than having the illness. (Hassanein, 8/19)
