Officials missed 99% of data' on Covid vaccines before making recommendation, memos reveal

"Officials missed 99% of the data on the topic they analyzed, he said. Putting together their own evidence base and making decisions via internal memos is highly unusual, he added."

"The memos overlooked hundreds of studies on the benefits and safety of Covid vaccination and set the precedent for making changes to vaccine recommendations based on ideology instead of evidence, critics say."

"On 27 May, Robert F Kennedy Jr, HHS secretary and longtime vaccine opponent, made a unilateral change to Covid vaccine recommendations via a post on X the first in a series of changes US health leaders have made to reshape recommendations dramatically for routine immunizations in the US."

Internal memos from May 12 revealed that US health officials dramatically changed Covid vaccine recommendations without adequate scientific support. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., HHS secretary, unilaterally ended recommendations for healthy children and pregnant people via social media on May 27. The memos overlooked approximately 99% of available research on vaccination during pregnancy and childhood. Medical experts criticized the decision-making process as highly unusual, noting that officials created their own evidence base through internal memos rather than following established protocols. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which includes members with anti-vaccine views, is now considering further changes to immunization recommendations. These actions represent a shift toward ideology-driven rather than evidence-based vaccine policy.

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