Trump administration's vaccines announcements have many health experts alarmed

1 month ago

Public wellness experts interest nan flurry of steps by nan Trump management astir vaccines is undermining nationalist entree and assurance successful vaccines.

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

The Trump management has announced a flurry of large changes involving vaccines these past fewer days. The moves person triggered siren and outrage among galore nationalist wellness experts, and they person raised fears and questions among galore regular people. NPR wellness analogous - and beautiful regular personification - Rob Stein is present to bring america up to date. Hi, Rob.

ROB STEIN, BYLINE: Hey there, Mary Louise.

KELLY: OK, commencement pinch COVID-19. Over nan past week aliases so, nan management abruptly announced 2 large changes that could restrict entree to COVID shots. What were they?

STEIN: Yeah, it's been a existent whirlwind. First, past week, national wellness officials imposed caller requirements connected nan COVID vaccines. They're demanding that vaccine companies behaviour large caller studies to, erstwhile again, beryllium nan vaccines are safe and still effective. That will apt make it harder, if not impossible, for anyone to get nan shots, isolated from for group who are astatine slightest 65 aliases person different wellness issues.

KELLY: At slightest 65 aliases different wellness issues.

STEIN: Yeah.

KELLY: OK, that's one. What's nan 2nd large change?

STEIN: Then this week, wellness caput Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dropped different bombshell. He removed nan broad recommendations that patient children and patient pregnant women routinely get immunized against COVID, again, apt making it overmuch much difficult for patient children and patient pregnant women to get nan shots. Federal officials reason some moves make consciousness astatine this constituent successful nan pandemic, you know, fixed really overmuch immunity everybody has. And they reason they're prudent, fixed what they opportunity are ongoing questions astir nan information of nan shots, particularly nan mRNA vaccines.

But, you know, I've been talking to tons of regular group who are beautiful upset by these moves because they still really want to get nan shots and to nationalist wellness and infectious illness experts who are, you know, outraged. They opportunity billions of group person gotten nan vaccines, proving they're safe and effective. Here's Dr. Ashish Jha, nan dean of nan Brown University School of Public Health.

ASHISH JHA: The cumulative effect present is simply a batch little entree to vaccines, conscionable making it overmuch harder for Americans to get vaccinated. And truthful I'm beautiful worried astir wherever we are.

KELLY: Rob, that's nan COVID vaccines. But past nan Trump management announced different determination involving a different benignant of mRNA vaccine. What do we cognize astir that?

STEIN: Yeah, nan Department of Health and Human Services revealed that nan authorities had canceled a $766 cardinal statement to create an mRNA vaccine to protect group against flu viruses that could origin nan adjacent pandemic, including nan vertebrate flu virus. Instead, nan authorities will usage nan money for different vaccine technologies, but galore experts see those technologies to beryllium outdated.

KELLY: And what is nan broader interest here?

STEIN: Well, you know, these are conscionable nan latest steps that Kennedy has taken that impact vaccines, particularly nan mRNA vaccines. So galore nationalist wellness experts interest that this is portion of an wide strategy to conscionable undermine nationalist assurance and nan usage of nan vaccines. They constituent to nan bales outbreak that's presently underway and upticks and different puerility diseases like, you know, whooping cough, arsenic grounds of nan effect we're already seeing. Here's Dr. Paul Offit from nan University of Pennsylvania.

PAUL OFFIT: It's a warfare connected vaccines. It's warfare connected children. And I deliberation that RFK Jr. is precisely what he has been for nan past 20 years, which is simply a virulent anti-vaccine activist, subject denialist and conspiracy theorist.

STEIN: Now, I reached retired to nan national authorities astir each this but ne'er heard back. But I should opportunity that immoderate extracurricular experts I talked to do work together pinch nan government's rationale for astatine slightest immoderate of these decisions.

KELLY: NPR wellness analogous Rob Stein, thanks.

STEIN: You bet, Mary Louise. And you're a beautiful personification yourself.

KELLY: (Laughter) Thank you.

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