Vaccine death and side effects database relies on unverified reports – and Trump officials and right-wing media are applying it out of context

Trump officials intend to link 25 child deaths to COVID-19 vaccines, according to reporting from The Washington Post. These findings will reportedly be discussed during the Sept. 18-19, 2025, meeting…

FDA approves updated COVID-19 vaccines with new restrictions, potentially limiting access for healthy children

Guidance around COVID-19 vaccines has once again shifted after the Food and Drug Administration on Aug. 27, 2025, approved updated shots for the fall season, but for a more limited…

Pediatricians’ association recommends COVID-19 vaccines for toddlers and some older children, breaking with CDC guidance

For 30 years, vaccine recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have aligned closely with those from the American Academy of Pediatrics, or AAP. But on Aug. 19,…

RFK Jr. says annual COVID-19 shots no longer advised for healthy children and pregnant women – a public health expert explains the new guidance

On May 27, 2025, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will no longer include the COVID-19 vaccine on…

WHO is finalizing a new treaty that prepares for the next pandemic − but the US isn’t signing

On March 20, 2025, members of the World Health Organization adopted the world’s first pandemic agreement, following three years of “intensive negotiations launched by governments in response to the devastating…

FDA limits access to COVID-19 vaccine to older adults and other high-risk groups – a public health expert explains the new rules

On May 20, 2025, the Food and Drug Administration announced a new stance on who should receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The agency said it would approve new versions of the…

FDA will approve COVID-19 vaccine only for older adults and high-risk groups – a public health expert explains the new rules

On May 20, 2025, the Food and Drug Administration announced a new stance on who should receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The agency said it would approve new versions of the…

COVID-19, flu and RSV shots − an epidemiologist explains why all three matter this fall

The Food and Drug Administration approved and granted emergency use authorization on Aug. 22, 2024, for the newest, updated version of the COVID-19 vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and…

CDC says people ages 65 and up should get a shot this spring – a geriatrician explains why it’s vitally important

In my mind, the spring season will always be associated with COVID-19. In spring 2020, the federal government declared a nationwide emergency, and life drastically changed. Schools and businesses closed,…

Health misinformation is rampant on social media – here’s what it does, why it spreads and what people can do about it

The global anti-vaccine movement and vaccine hesitancy that accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic show no signs of abating. According to a survey of U.S. adults, Americans in October 2023 were…