Breaking: HHS is canceling a $600 million contract with Moderna to develop, test, and license vaccines for flu strains that could trigger future pandemics, including the dangerous H5N1 bird flu virus.
The US does not have a universal single-payer healthcare system. Statements by health authorities greatly influence vaccine access because dropping vaccine recommendations give insurance companies an excuse not to cover them. Vaccines are not accessible if you can’t afford them.
Today RFK and co. removed the COVID vaccine from the CDC's recommended immunization schedule for children and pregnant people.
This is junk science. COVID puts children and pregnant people at higher risk for ER visits and hospitalizations, and Long COVID can cause chronic health issues for anyone.
COVID vaccines are an important tool to reduce serious health risks and should continue to be available to everyone.
CDC platforms have stopped warning the public about disease spread. One of the CDC's main newsletters that alerts health professionals about outbreaks hasn't been sent since March. And most CDC social media accounts have gone over a month without posting their own new content.
Under its new leadership — who spread misinformation throughout the pandemic — the FDA announced it will limit all Covid vaccines to adults over 65 and those with certain medical conditions.
Covid continues to spread and cause harm. This an anti-science move that will kill more Americans.
Note: CDC lists many conditions that may make someone likelier to become severely ill with Covid-19, including older age, asthma, diabetes, lung disease, obesity and pregnancy.
By definition, most people are higher risk and should have access to Novavax.
The problem is that although the CDC lists many higher risk conditions, the FDA approval document is unclear about what qualifies as an underlying condition. This means many who should qualify may be wrongly turned away, and makes it less likely insurers will broadly cover Novavax.
Also, issuing vaccine access restrictions based on risk profile makes it confusing about who qualifies, and many people who would otherwise get the vaccine may not try because they think they don't qualify.
Novavax and other Covid-19 vaccines should be approved for everyone.
FDA approval of the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine approval was delayed by 6 weeks, a clear sign of political interference that does not bode well for future vaccine approvals.
Finally, the fact that the Trump administration delayed approval and restricted access to the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine — which is based on traditional vaccine technology — shows that questions raised about mRNA vaccines are disingenuous; they want to limit access to all vaccines.
Reminder that wellness grifters like Trump’s new Surgeon General Casey Means spread misinformation about vaccines and health because it is extremely profitable for them to do so.
📢 Scientist and organizer working in public health, climate justice, and science communication❗️Opinions my own and do not reflect those of my employer ➡️ Contact/Links: https://linktr.ee/luckytran