Vaccine Advisory Committee to Meet Next Week

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)said last week it will hold a meeting on May 22 to discuss COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for the upcoming U.S. immunization campaign.

The meeting follows the appointment of Martin Makary as FDA commissioner. Reuters reported that Makary previously had raised concerns about several public health efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, had promoted natural immunity, and opposed vaccine mandates.

The vaccine meeting also follows mass layoffs at the FDA as part of U.S.  Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. new plans.

Last week, CNN reported another lawsuit was filed against the Trump administration, to protest the HHS changes. Democratic attorneys general from 19 states and Washington, D.C., filed the suit against Kennedy and other health officials, asserting that firing thousands of federal health workers and terminating numerous health programs endangers the public. The states are seeking an injunction to halt the layoffs and restore the programs.