The Anti-Science Agenda in ActionIt wasn’t enough that Donald Trump, through his ignorance and false pride, caused the Covid 19 deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S because of his inaction and unscientific claims. Remember his statement that Covid would just magically go away and his suggestion that people should try ingesting disinfectant to kill the virus?
Now, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s Health and Human Secretary, who has zero background in health or science, has issued an order vastly restricting the availability of the Covid 19 vaccine to anyone not in a vulnerable group, like little kids or seniors over 65.
Why would he do that? Because, based on no credible scientific research, he opposes vaccines – regardless of the evidence to the contrary. A typical Trump yes-man in the Cabinet.
Emergency use authorizations for COVID-19 vaccines are rescinded, Kennedy said Aug. 27, which means Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine is no longer available for children younger than 5. Moderna’s vaccine is approved for children as young as 6 months, but only if they have an underlying condition that puts them at higher risk. The FDA had already approved Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine, but only for people 65 and older and those 12 and up who have at least one underlying condition that puts them at higher risk of severe illness.
Kennedy’s action prompted immediate outrage from science-based organizations, including the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), whose president said FDA’s new order ignores science and puts millions of lives at risk.
“COVID-19 vaccines remain our best tool to prevent severe disease, hospitalization and death due to COVID-19 — for healthy adults, children, pregnant patients and others at higher risk,” said Tina Tan, MD, IDSA president.
Physicians can still provide COVID vaccines off-label, Dr. Tan explained, adding that “IDSA strongly urges doctors to continue recommending and administering vaccination to their patients based on the best available science.” However, she added, “pharmacists’ ability to provide off-label vaccines may be severely constrained, underscoring the vital role of physicians and other clinicians in maintaining access.”
IDSA urged insurers to continue covering COVID vaccines consistent with multiple medical society recommendations and scientific evidence, and called on Congress to “conduct strong oversight of the Administration’s decision to restrict Americans’ freedom to choose vaccination as we approach the upcoming respiratory virus season.”
Just the day before issuing that order, Kennedy warned the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) that physicians who follow AAP’s advice to continue providing the vaccine “are not shielded from liability under the 1986 Vaccine Injury Act.” In other words, he issued a thinly veiled warning that physicians could be held financially liable if they provide the vaccine to those not on the approved list.
The AAP recommendations included a strong endorsement of COVID-19 shots for children ages 6 months to under 2 years. The group also recommended COVID shots for older children if the parents want to do that. The guidance issued by the CDC said the vaccines are not specifically recommended for children, but they can still get them if parents and providers agree. The scientific evidence continues to strongly support broad vaccination far beyond the limited populations outlined in the Food and Drug Administration’s new label.
By narrowing its approval, FDA contradicts the evidence, undermines trust in science-driven policy and removes millions of Americans’ ability to be protected — thus increasing the risk of severe outcomes from COVID, the Experts say.
With this action, combined with the FDA’s questioning of the measles vaccine, which had virtually eliminated such cases, Trump, via Kennedy, may now be responsible for countless more unnecessary deaths in the future.
“Our health care system is now solidly anti-children and anti-science,” Fatima Khan, co-founder of the nonprofit grassroots group Protect Their Future, which advocates for vaccine access for kids, told CNN.
“The data are clear: young children–especially infants–remain highly vulnerable to severe illness and hospitalization from Covid-19. By restricting access to safe, evidence-based vaccines, federal leaders are choosing ideology over science. Denying children a critical tool to prevent avoidable tragedies will be a lasting stain on every policymaker who allowed it to happen,” she said.
Bob Gatty is founder and editor of Lean to the Left and host of the Lean to the Left podcast. He is co-author, with CJ Waldron, of the three-volume series, “Hijacked Nation: Donald Trump’s attack on America’s greatness.”
