The CDC delayed publishing a study scheduled for March 19 that found Covid vaccines reduced urgent care and emergency visits by 50 percent and hospitalizations by 55 percent among healthy adults in 2025-2026. Acting CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya halted the report over methodological concerns despite it passing the agency's scientific review process and using the same observational methods the CDC has long employed for respiratory virus vaccines. The delay occurs under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who formerly chaired anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense, called Covid shots the deadliest vaccine ever made, and directed the CDC to drop vaccine recommendations for children and healthy pregnant women. Public confidence has eroded, with only 41 percent of Americans believing Covid vaccine benefits outweigh risks according to a September 2025 YouGov survey.
CDC's delayed publication of Covid vaccine effectiveness study
- ▪The CDC Covid vaccine research was due to be published March 19 in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
- ▪The CDC Covid vaccine study found that healthy adults who received the Covid vaccine cut their risk of urgent care and emergency visits by 50 percent compared to adults who did not receive a dose in 2025 or 2026
Methodological concerns and scientific debate over the research
- ▪The methodology used in the delayed CDC Covid vaccine study underpinned a 2021 New England Journal of Medicine study on Covid vaccine effectiveness
- ▪Jay Bhattacharya is director of the National Institutes of Health
- ▪Dan Jernigan resigned from the CDC in 2024 amid disputes with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Kennedy's influence and broader vaccine policy changes at HHS
- ▪Kennedy-appointed advisers considered ending recommendations for Covid mRNA vaccines in 2025 but ultimately shelved the plan
- ▪According to a September 2025 YouGov survey, 41 percent of Americans believe the benefits of the Covid vaccine outweigh the risks
- ▪Robert F. Kennedy Jr. once chaired Children's Health Defense, a leading anti-vaccine group
- ▪Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is Health and Human Services Secretary
Perspective of Jay Bhattacharya
- ▪Jay Bhattacharya raised methodological concerns about observational methods used to calculate Covid vaccine effectiveness despite the CDC's long history of using such methods
Perspective of CDC career scientists
- ▪Dan Jernigan's resignation from the CDC in 2024 reflected disputes between career scientists and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine policies
Perspective of Public health advocates
- ▪The delayed CDC report demonstrates that Covid vaccines provide substantial protection with 50-55 percent reductions in urgent care visits and hospitalizations
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