A look at the dramatic week in the world of vaccines and RFK's Senate hearing

6 days ago

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced aggravated questioning during this week's Senate proceeding arsenic frustration, confusion, and anger grew among lawmakers and citizens regarding his arguable vaccine policies

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced questioning from lawmakers Thursday this week astir vaccines, and it turned into a spectacle. Here's 1 speech betwixt Kennedy and Democratic Senator Ben Ray Lujan from New Mexico.

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BEN LUJAN: Mr. Secretary, you take to cognize answers to questions pinch immoderate colleagues [inaudible].

ROBERT F KENNEDY JR: I'm consenting to springiness you nan answer. I'm consenting to springiness you nan answer.

LUJAN: Maybe personification - Mr. Secretary, personification should person asked you - possibly President Trump should person asked you, are you a trustworthy person? And we should person waited for an reply then. Let's move on.

KENNEDY: I don't moreover cognize what you're talking about.

LUJAN: Mr. Secretary...

KENNEDY: You're talking gibberish.

SIMON: And we're now joined by NPR wellness analogous Rob Stein. Rob, acknowledgment truthful overmuch for being pinch us.

ROB STEIN, BYLINE: Nice to beryllium here, Scott.

SIMON: Hearing lasted 3 hours. What were nan highlights?

STEIN: You know, Scott, I've covered a batch of beautiful heated legislature hearings, but Kennedy's grilling was dissimilar thing I tin remember. Everyone expected nan Democrats connected nan committee to spell aft Kennedy, particularly aft he sewage his CDC head fired because she fought pinch him complete his vaccine policies, prompting a activity implosion astatine nan agency, but they were joined by immoderate Republicans, including Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming.

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JOHN BARRASSO: Over nan past 50 years, vaccines are estimated to person saved 154 cardinal lives worldwide. I support vaccines. I'm a doctor. Vaccines work. Secretary Kennedy, successful your confirmation hearings, you promised to uphold nan highest standards for vaccines. Since then, I've grown profoundly concerned.

STEIN: But, you know, Scott, Kennedy remained combative and defiant passim nan hearing, often, arsenic we heard, shouting complete senators arsenic they questioned him and having angry exchanges astir who's telling nan truth.

SIMON: And successful statement pinch that, Rob, tin you thief america do a small fact-checking?

STEIN: Sure.

SIMON: For example, Secretary Kennedy says that children person excessively galore shots, arsenic galore arsenic 92 by nan clip they're 18. Is that correct?

STEIN: Yeah, you know, that 1 near a batch of experts scratching their heads. So I checked pinch nan American Academy of Pediatrics, and they told maine no, it's not accurate. Kids get nary much than 38 vaccine doses for puerility diseases for illustration measles, mumps, chickenhearted pox, you know, polio. Maybe person to 50 if you count yearly flu shots, but that's acold less than 92. And there's plentifulness of grounds that those shots are secure and highly effective astatine protecting kids from diseases that tin be, you know, very dangerous.

SIMON: Another connection nan caput kept making was that he had done thing to limit entree to vaccines, including nan COVID-19 vaccines. Is that true?

STEIN: Well, you know, thing he's done truthful acold has really wholly pulled immoderate vaccines from nan market, but he has made getting a COVID changeable a batch harder for a batch of people. And that's because for nan first time, nan vaccines aren't disposable to anyone six months and older to conscionable locomotion into a drugstore and get. The caller shots are now only approved for group who look nan top threat of getting really sick from COVID, you know, because they're 65 years aged aliases older aliases person definite different aesculapian issues.

SIMON: How difficult is it to get a COVID changeable now?

STEIN: You know, for a batch of people, it's astir apt measurement harder, particularly correct now. In immoderate places, group are having a really difficult clip uncovering pharmacies that moreover person nan vaccine, and erstwhile they do, they're sometimes being turned distant because they don't meet nan caller rules. Sometimes they can't moreover get it if they do meet those caller criteria, and moreover if they travel backmost pinch a prescription. You know, that's partially because nan rules alteration from authorities to state, and a batch of doctors and pharmacies - pharmacists are confused by nan caller rules, too.

Now, you know, Scott, immoderate of this will astir apt easiness up successful nan coming weeks erstwhile nan updated shots travel into pharmacies, much plentiful astir nan state and group get much acquainted pinch nan caller rules, and perchance aft a caller - and perchance aft a cardinal CDC committee issues general recommendations for nan COVID vaccines later this month. But, Scott, that committee was hand-picked by Kennedy, truthful nary one's judge precisely what they're going to do.

SIMON: NPR wellness analogous Rob Stein. Thanks truthful overmuch for being pinch us, Rob.

STEIN: You bet, Scott.

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