FFS Friday 9/5/25- Finally

Vaccine news has been exhausting this week. Good and terrible.

But first something I learned today. States manage their own vaccine programs and their programs are more powerful than the federal wants and wishes.

This is a Gordian knot of anti-vaccine bullshit. Of RFK Jr.’s making. He’s the one driving this train straight to widespread illness and death. Do not pass go, and, by the way, covid vaccines will be going up in price.

RFK Jr. testified before the Senate on Thursday. In part to answer for the CDC chaos that he fomented and lit a fire under, and in part to address his egregious anti-vaccine stance.

Some of the senators, especially Sen. Bill Cassidy (a doctor and a republican who voted RFK Jr. into his position), and Sen. John Barrasso (a doctor and a republican who voted RFK Jr. into his position) reminded RFK Jr. that he promised to uphold the highest standards for vaccines.

It was a contentious hearing and RFK Jr. was misrepresenting what was going on. Misrepresenting is another word for lying. We deserve better. We, as a society and as health care workers, are not surprised.

As an aside, we all know that he is shitting on the standards for vaccines. From his Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) firings and subsequent hiring and appointment of anti-vaccine bros and sycophants onto that same committee (an lying about it to the public that this unprecedented action would restore public trust in vaccine, a trust he’s violated for years), his canceling of mRNA vaccine grants, and his pressure on the directors to follow his tyrannic drivel on vaccines. Some of the directors have resigned in protest. There was even a letter from 1000 current and former HHS employees that called for RFK Jr.’s resignation on Wednesday (9/3) morning.

As an other aside, we all have heard stories, some first hand, of people being denied the covid vaccine. Including doctors and nurses and other front line staff. Even a grade 4 cancer patient who was under the 65 year age limit, the wife of conservative commentator Erick Erickson, was denied. Correct me if I am wrong but stage 4 cancer is the very definition of high risk.

By the way this is why I recommended a booster for EVERYONE that I know back in April when the shit started to roll downhill. Because this writing was on the wall.

In positive vaccine news, Washington, California, and Oregon have launched the West Coast Health Alliance. Its aim is to use scientific integrity in public health and the use of evidence based guidance for their states’ citizens. This was Wednesday (9/3/) as well. They cited the politicization of the CDC and HHS as primary drivers of this new alliance.

I believe that other blue states will join them. I wish them all the best of luck.

Somewhere a states’ rights believer’s (who also believes in federal mandates on abortion and vaccines head) is exploding. My body, my choice for me, not for thee.

You cannot pick and choose when states’ rights are allowed and when they are not.