The scientist responsible for overseeing the CDC team that collects data on Covid and RSV hospitalizations resigned on Monday.
Dr Fiona Havers told colleagues in an email that she no longer had confidence the data would be used “objectively or evaluated with appropriate scientific rigor to make evidence-based vaccine policy decisions”, according toReuters.
She resigned before a planned meeting of a new vaccine panel put in place by Robert Kennedy Jr after he fired all 17 members of the CDC’s independent vaccine advisory panel. Kennedy also dropped a recommendation to get the Covid shot for healthy children and pregnant women.
Havers, leader of the Resp-Net hospitalization surveillance team, did not respond to requests for comment.
Her resignation follows moves by Kennedy, the health secretary, to abruptly fire all 17 members of the CDC’s independent vaccine advisory panel and drop a recommendation for administering Covid shots to healthy children and pregnant women.
Kennedy, who has long sown doubt about the safety and efficacy of vaccines, replaced the advisory board with eight members of his own choosing, some of whom have histories of objecting to Covid shots or vaccines in general.
Havers said in her email that the Covid and RSV data collected by her team had been used in more than 20 peer-reviewed manuscripts and 15 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports issued by the CDC.
The newly installed vaccine panel, known as the advisory committee on immunization practices, is expected to meet 25-27 June to vote on the use of Covid-19 boosters and other vaccines by the American public.
A Health and Human Services spokesperson told Reuters that the agency is committed to “gold standard science” and that the vaccine policy will be based on objective data, transparent analysis and evidence.