CDC chief blocked covid vaccine study now published in medical journal
Acting CDC director Jay Bhattacharya blocked the study from appearing in the agency’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, and the paper was published Tuesday in JAMA Network Open. The case-control analysis found adults who received the 2025-26 COVID vaccine between September and December had about a 50% lower risk of emergency and urgent care visits and a 55% lower risk of COVID-associated hospitalization than unvaccinated adults. HHS said Bhattacharya raised concerns about the study’s methods, but independent peer review accepted the analysis and its conclusion that updated vaccines substantially reduced severe illness last fall and winter. This matters because the peer-reviewed results supply real-world evidence to inform vaccine policy and individual decisions about getting the 2025-26 booster.
