
A lot of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s listening to earlier than the Senate Committee on Well being, Schooling, Labor and Pensions on Jan. 30 centered on his views of vaccines.
The three-hour listening to was the second and ultimate one for Mr. Kennedy, who’s aiming to safe his nomination as President Donald Trump’s decide for HHS secretary. Of their questioning on Jan. 30, lawmakers tried to achieve a firmer sense of how Mr. Kennedy would strategy vaccine messaging as head of the nation’s well being company, and whether or not his views align with established public well being steerage on vaccine security and efficacy.
A day earlier, Mr. Kennedy confronted a greater than three-hour listening to earlier than the Senate Finance Committee, throughout which lawmakers pressed him on subjects together with his plans for Medicare and Medicaid reform, abortion and continual illness.
Mr. Kennedy wants 51 Senate votes to be confirmed. If all Democrats vote towards him, he can afford to lose solely three Republican votes. The Finance Committee has indicated it should maintain a vote subsequent week however has not scheduled a date.
Sen. Invoice Cassidy, MD, R-La., a doctor and chairman of the HELP Committee, is taken into account a key vote. By the top of the Jan. 30 listening to, Dr. Cassidy stated he nonetheless had doubts about Mr. Kennedy’s “previous of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or deceptive arguments.”
Listed below are 5 takeaways from the Jan. 30 listening to. A recording of the listening to in its entirety could be discovered right here.
1. Vaccines and autism. Early within the listening to, Dr. Cassidy and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., questioned Mr. Kennedy about previous remarks linking vaccines to autism — a declare that has been broadly debunked by scientific analysis. Mr. Kennedy has beforehand expressed considerations about vaccine security, together with suggesting that sure substances might trigger autism, regardless of quite a few research discovering no causal hyperlink, in line with The New York Instances. When Dr. Cassidy requested Mr. Kennedy to acknowledge that the measles and hepatitis B vaccines don’t trigger the situation, Mr. Kennedy responded: “In case you present me knowledge, I would be the first individual to guarantee the American individuals they need to take these vaccines”; he didn’t immediately handle the query.
2. HPV vaccine security. Mr. Kennedy stated he would suggest sufferers observe the CDC’s steerage for HPV vaccination, which recommends two or three doses between ages 11 and 26. On the similar time, he has helped construct an ongoing authorized case towards Merck, maker of the HPV vaccine Gardasil, alleging the vaccine has induced well being points in plaintiffs, ABC Information reported Jan. 27. Monetary disclosure paperwork present Mr. Kennedy’s most important supply of revenue over the previous yr stems from referral charges from a number of regulation corporations for the civil swimsuit, elevating questions on his capacity to be neutral if appointed HHS secretary. Through the Jan. 30 listening to, Mr. Kennedy stated he would not retain the charges from the case, marking a departure from the monetary paperwork filed final week. Greater than 160 research have been printed supporting the security of HPV vaccines, and well being specialists say there isn’t a proof suggesting a hyperlink to well being issues.
3. Chook flu and vaccines. Mr. Kennedy’s historical past of questioning the security and efficacy of vaccines has raised concern amongst public well being specialists and a few lawmakers surrounding how the Trump administration will reply to the continuing hen flu outbreak. The administration has been largely silent on response efforts to this point. The subject got here up briefly when Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., requested whether or not Mr. Kennedy could be prepared to distribute an mRNA hen flu vaccine. Early within the listening to, Mr. Kennedy stated he would distribute a hen flu vaccine, however when requested particularly about whether or not that extends to mRNA vaccines, he provided a much less clear response.
“I am not going to choose a vaccine proper now; you realize I would like to take a look at all the info,” Mr. Kennedy stated.
In a June submit on X, Mr. Kennedy expressed doubt concerning the security of hen flu vaccines saved within the Nationwide Strategic Stockpile, saying there isn’t a proof the photographs will work and that they “seem like harmful.” Since April, there have been no less than 67 circumstances of H5N1 hen flu amongst people within the U.S. Federal well being officers have reiterated that the outbreak doesn’t pose a direct risk to public well being — an evaluation that might change ought to the virus evolve in ways in which make it more proficient at spreading amongst people.
4. Vaccines and race. The subject of race and vaccination schedule was additionally talked about through the listening to. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., requested Mr. Kennedy about feedback beforehand made that steered Black individuals needs to be on completely different vaccine schedules than white individuals as a result of “their immune system is best than ours.”
Mr. Kennedy responded that a number of research carried out in Poland have discovered Black individuals have “a lot stronger response” to vaccines and may require fewer antigens. A 2016 NIH examine discovered that youthful Black individuals had larger antibody responses to an H1N1 part of the flu vaccine, IIV3 or IIV4, in comparison with youthful white individuals. Nonetheless, the distinction was not detected in older adults. A 2014 Mayo Clinic examine additionally discovered that Somali People developed twice the rubella antibody responses from the prevailing vaccine on the time in comparison with white individuals.
Ms. Alsobrooks instructed Mr. Kennedy that his options had been “so harmful,” and questioned which completely different vaccine schedule she ought to obtain as a Black feminine. She additionally reiterated that his voice could be one mother and father would hearken to when trying to schedule vaccinations for his or her youngsters. Public well being companies haven’t really useful completely different vaccine schedules based mostly on race.
5. Vaccines and youngsters. Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Sanders engaged in a number of heated discussions on Jan. 30, together with one about Mr. Kennedy’s earlier feedback relating to the COVID-19 vaccine.
Mr. Sanders requested if Mr. Kennedy thought the COVID-19 vaccine saved lives.
“I am agnostic as a result of we do not have the science to make that dedication,” Mr. Kennedy stated when pressed for a solution.
Mr. Kennedy defined the rationale he’s uncertain of the vaccine’s efficacy is as a result of “we do not have an excellent surveillance system.” Nonetheless, the CDC incessantly evaluates vaccine effectiveness in collaboration with public well being companions and stated on its web site that whereas the vaccine was “developed quickly, all steps have been taken to make sure their security and effectiveness.”
The Nationwide Institutes of Well being additionally recognized 30 research from Jan. 1 to Might 14, 2021, that discovered 80%-90% efficacy towards symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 infections.
Mr. Kennedy stated a few of his ideas on the COVID-19 vaccine got here from the Vaccine Adversarial Occasion Reporting System, a safety-monitoring system of FDA-approved vaccines and vaccines which can be accepted for public well being emergency use, in line with the CDC.
He additionally shared skepticism about COVID-19 vaccine advantages for youngsters, nonetheless, many medical specialists have emphasised the potential dangers the sickness poses, significantly for unvaccinated youngsters underneath 6 months outdated. In line with the CDC, round 11% of youngsters have acquired essentially the most up-to-date COVID-19 vaccine, whereas 22.8% of adults have acquired theirs.