Recent off the inner collapse of the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention’s senior management, U.S> Well being Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. testified earlier than the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday. There, Kennedy deflected and denied any dangerous impacts from the CDC’s implosion, whereas repeatedly spouting misinformation about vaccines and different well being points.
The listening to comes after a lot of the CDC’s management resigned or had been fired in final week. Former CDC director Susan Monarez was fired on Tuesday for reportedly refusing to help Kennedy’s vaccine agenda with out evaluation, and particularly, to observe the suggestions issued by an influential however unbiased vaccine advisory panel—the identical panel that Kennedy just lately purged and restocked with individuals who have criticized or voiced skepticism towards vaccines earlier than.
Deflection and denial
Kennedy, in each a gap assertion and subsequent responses to Senate Finance Committee members, appeared to reduce the fallout from what occurred on the CDC. He as a substitute argued that the company’s observe document, significantly in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, merited a form of reset, including that it was “completely crucial” to wipe the slate clear.
“We’re the sickest nation on this planet. That’s why now we have to fireside individuals on the CDC,” Kennedy mentioned.
It’s price noting, after all, that U.S. President Donald Trump oversaw the nation’s preliminary response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which included the record-setting improvement and rollout of mRNA vaccines to fight the virus. On the identical time, the Trump administration typically ignored and undermined the CDC throughout that first 12 months.
On the firing of Monarez, Kennedy implied that she was untrustworthy, moderately than that she had refused to help his vaccine agenda.
Kennedy additionally rebuffed criticisms of the remade vaccine advisory panel.
Senator Invoice Cassidy (R-Louisiana) famous that a number of of Kennedy’s picks obtained cash from testifying in vaccine-related lawsuits, arguing that this historical past needs to be seen as a monetary battle of curiosity—the identical rationale utilized by Kennedy to dismiss the previous ACIP members. Kennedy disagreed completely, as a substitute claiming that this was merely proof of them probably having a bias.
RFK Jr.’s fuzzy math
Among the many extra egregious moments within the listening to occurred throughout questioning by Senator Mark Warner (D-Virginia). When pressed to acknowledge that a minimum of a million People died from COVID-19, Kennedy mentioned in a heated trade with Warner that he didn’t know many People died from COVID-19.
“I don’t suppose anyone is aware of that,” Kennedy said.
There are barely various estimates of the entire deaths brought on by the pandemic, however we all know that the pandemic triggered the deaths of greater than 1.2 million People, and that determine relies on documented and confirmed COVID-19 fatalities.
Kennedy additionally claimed to not know what number of lives had been saved from the COVID-19 vaccines, one other widespread speaking level of the anti-vaccination motion. However quite a few research have proven that COVID-19 vaccination saved a minimum of hundreds of thousands of lives within the U.S. and worldwide, and that the vaccines are secure and efficient. And Kennedy’s suggestion that vaccine makers didn’t produce a examine exhibiting the COVID-19 jab was appropriate for wholesome kids can also be incorrect, as these research have been accomplished.
Vaccine skepticism on the fore
At one level within the listening to, Kennedy said that he agreed together with his handpicked ACIP member Retsef Levi’s argument that the mRNA covid-19 vaccines triggered critical hurt, together with demise, to People, particularly younger individuals. Whereas no vaccine or drug is with out its unintended effects, the overwhelming majority of research have reaffirmed the general security of those vaccines, and that their total advantages outweigh the dangers.
Later, Senator Tina Smith (D-Minnesota) requested Kennedy if he was mendacity when he advised Senators earlier than his affirmation as well being secretary that he wasn’t “anti-vax.”
“When had been you mendacity, sir?” Smith mentioned. “If you advised this committee that you weren’t anti-vax? Or once you advised People that there’s no secure and efficient vaccine?”
“Each issues are true,” Kennedy responded.
