Corey Watts

Updated Evidence for Covid-19, RSV, and Influenza Vaccines for 2025–2026 | NEJM Changes in the vaccine advisory process in the United States have disrupted immunization guidance, which reinforces the need for independent evidence review to inform decisions regarding immunizati...

Glad to have been a part of this effort:

“These findings underscore the enduring value of immunization against respiratory viruses as a cornerstone of preventive care and support the feasibility of maintaining rigorous, evidence-based guidance during periods of institutional disruption.”

RFK hired him to destroy trust in vaccines. Dr. Prasad did not disappoint him. But fundamentally every Trump appointee must have the right enemies. It seems that Dr. Prasad was seen as just a bit too unreliable in that metric.

Vinay Prasad’s regulatory decision that ended his MAGA career was exactly what anyone who ever listened to his podcast (as I did in 2019) knew he would do if he got this job.

His mistake was thinking that he was hired to do that job.

Article: “As Ms. Loomer’s campaign escalated, the federal health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who oversees the F.D.A., had privately defended Dr. Prasad, according to people familiar with the matter. Mr. Kennedy’s support, they said, stemmed in part from Dr. Prasad’s role overseeing vaccines. During his brief tenure at the F.D.A. Dr. Prasad had already limited the use of Covid shots and had amped up warnings about a rare cardiac side effect of the inoculations.”

This could be a career epitaph.

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/29/h...

Have Drs. Bhattacharya and Makary, part of the commission for this report, commented on their fake citations?

Thanks for this. The whiplash in tone on this from his furious post on Peter Marks, now his predecessor, is amazing. I wonder if he knew he was going to get that position at the time

On a Nature news article reporting that NIH planned to suspend subawards for foreign collaborations: “No, that’s false. There’s going to be a policy on tracking subawards. The NIH and the government should be able to see where the money’s going.” “I’m really uncomfortable with this conversation, because you’re like, actually spreading rumors that you don’t know anything about. … Nature also is spreading rumors. Halt foreign collaborations, that’s not true.” “We’re working on the policy, Jocelyn. You shouldn’t be reporting rumors. I know there’s leaks all over here, but the leaks don’t actually reflect what’s happening. Don’t write about rumors. It actually makes the things that you and I care about worse. Like it spreads panic.” Later that day, NIH released a policy that halted future subawards to foreign scientists and said they will need to apply directly for money under a system still in development.

With NIH director Jayanta Bhattacharya dismissing my reporting as "false" and "spreading rumors" hours before releasing a policy that confirmed said "rumors," I feel compelled to respond.

Here's an inside look into how this story was reported. It was a weird one. 🧵

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Remember when RFK claimed single antigen vaccines don’t work for respiratory viruses?

Perhaps he got that from Michael Memoli, the flu vaccine researcher & COVID vaccine dissenter, and now Trump hatchet man—and main man of the “new” vaccine initiative.

2022 flashback:
www.nih.gov/news-events/...

Yes indeed.

By the way, in digging up the 2022 press release I cited above, I stumbled on a possible explanation for one of RFK’s most baffling statements about vaccines (re Novavax).

Memoli really is pulling the strings around HHS.

Trial of potential universal flu vaccine opens at NIH Clinical Center The study can enroll up to 100 people aged 18 to 55 years.

The insider favorite of the NIH/FDA crew in power, Michael Memoli, is a champion of this (trials of which began under Fauci).

Memoli not only argued against mandates, he famously refused COVID vaccination.

The tech seems fine, just not the total focus on one approach.

www.nih.gov/news-events/...

Infuriating. They are starting with their conclusions and splitting absurd hairs between the COVID and flu vaccines. It’s worked for “more than 80 years” for flu, so…it’s too dangerous for COVID?

The antivaxx/COVID contrarian synthesis. It doesn’t make sense and it leaves us all more vulnerable.

The Lancet joins The American Public Health Association and @drsforamerica.bsky.social in calling for RFK Jr‘s resignation.

Good. More!

Need more info as to RFK’s involvement. But if this is him, it is notable that this is a multi-antigen vaccine, whereas his (absurd) alleged objection to the Novavax vaccine was that it is single-antigen

DOGE begins to freeze health-care payments for extra review DOGE is putting new curbs on billions of dollars in federal grants, requiring officials to manually review and approve payments that were previously routine.

Is that for the extra layer of political review?

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

This man can’t tell a dead chicken from a cat (nor can he spell Cory)

Specifically, I experienced censorship in the reporting of our research because of agency concerns that it did not appear to fully support preconceived narratives of my agency’s leadership about ultra-processed food addiction.

Statement - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Unfit to Serve as HHS Secretary STATEMENT RELEASE: Doctors for America Calls for the Resignation or Removal of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. DFA General -

Doctors for America Calls for the Resignation or Removal of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is unfit to serve as Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary and must be removed. The health of our nation depends on it.

doctorsforamerica.org/statement-re...

I’m a union member. Did Elon Musk steal my data?

It’s a tool of control so they will presumably continue to exempt themselves

bsky.app/profile/dave...

He cited “a report” arguing that the child died of a “bacteriological infection” in this interview…

bsky.app/profile/maze...

RFK denies measles as the cause of these deaths. Slips in the false assertion that MMR immunity “fades very quickly.”

BUT when pinned down he does say he “encourages” people to get MMR vaccine.

It’s clear he is doing the opposite on the ground. But keeping up the pressure is good!

this is not what law says about fda approvals work . it has nothing to do with priorities of govt.

Unique pain research office eliminated in HHS purge Pain is the most costly chronic health problem in the U.S. In latest RIFs at NIH, an entire division devoted to pain research was closed down.

A week ago, the Trump administration laid off thousands of people at HHS and its agencies.

The cuts were so deep, and touched so much, we're still learning about the impacts.

Here are a couple stories that have stood out to me.

1) @levfacher.bsky.social on the gutting of a pain-research office.

This child became ill with measles many weeks into the outbreak. There was plenty of time to have become vaccinated if our nation’s top health official, whose organization has invested heavily on the ground in the area, were focused on ending the outbreak instead of fanning the flames.

Anti-vaccine sentiments may derail vaccines already awaiting FDA approval, experts fear | CNN Concern is growing among public health experts that anti-vaccine sentiments within federal and state governments may derail emerging and cutting-edge vaccines that are now awaiting regulatory approval...

My comments with @cnn.com

www.cnn.com/2025/04/08/h...

In the same post, however, he deliberately added a falsehood

In fact, he edited a falsehood IN to his post AFTER posting it

His edited post included 'the growth rates for news cases and hospitalizations [from measles] has flattened"

Sounds nice

But that just isn't true

The transfers of senior HHS officials from to IHS were deliberately insulting.

“But while Native leaders expected such moves from Mr. Trump, many say they feel betrayed by Mr. Kennedy.”

RFK Jr and fellow HHS appointees seem to have been chosen to attack Trump’s enemies, not serve people.

Just realized he has dropped vitamin A from this cocktail. They didn’t like the media coverage of the kids they poisoned.

And because RFK is our top health official, this “healing” is government policy.

There is no way that the actions of these men are not making this outbreak worse. They are clearly offering a well-funded and -advertised alternative to mass vaccination