Overview
- Acting CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya delayed a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report study after it cleared scientific review, citing concerns about how the analysis measured vaccine protection.
- The unpublished study, as described by The Washington Post and summarized by The Independent, reportedly found healthy adults who got COVID shots had about 50% fewer urgent care or ER visits and 55% fewer hospitalizations in 2025–2026.
- An HHS spokesperson said leadership reviews of MMWR papers are routine and that Bhattacharya challenged the study’s observational method, while an unnamed official argued the focus on hospitalized patients could bias results.
- Some current and former CDC officials say the delay may sideline findings that conflict with Kennedy’s vaccine stance, noting he previously directed CDC to end COVID shot recommendations for children and healthy pregnant women.
- MMWR is the CDC’s main outlet for fast public health findings and has long used similar observational designs, including work cited in a 2021 New England Journal of Medicine study, and Bhattacharya is set to meet CDC scientists on next steps.