Elizabeth Newell MD

COVID vaccines may have averted thousands of hospital stays in infants, pregnant women over 18 months

Study in JAMA Pediatrics estimates that vaccinating pregnant women against COVID-19 prevented 7,000 hospitalizations in infants and 3,000 in pregnant women from January 2024 to May 2025. 
#Medsky
www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/cov...

ACOG reaffirms that acetaminophen is safe for managing pain and fever during pregnancy. No reputable studies support suggestions like those in HHS’s recent announcement linking acetaminophen use in pregnancy to autism; in fact, high-quality studies show no such risk. https://bit.ly/47Wxc59

Here’s shared decision making- if you want your Covid shot go get it, science supports it for the majority of people over 6 months old. Your doctor will support you and help answer any questions or concerns, and will not inhibit you from making an informed choice.

Covid vaccine and flu vaccine done! Get yours too and protect yourself and others around you

graph of cumulative measles in US by year. Top is 2025 in blue and is just above 2019 outbreak in gray.

US map showing measles cases. Blue is local measles spread and red is measles imported after international travel. 1474 Measles cases this year so far.

I just learned about the new US Measles Tracker from
@johnshopkinssph.bsky.social and @hopkinsengineer.bsky.social.

#medsky #IDsky #episky 🛟😷

Never imagined I’d be a Barbie doll! Thankful to Mattel/Barbie for their Inspiring Women series, and to my NASA colleagues whose teamwork continues to inspire people.

That’s awesome!

How did you get 100% uptake? That’s amazing , there is so much misinformation and distrust in my area

If passed, HB 7 would allow private citizens to sue anyone who provides, manufactures, or delivers medication abortion to someone in Texas. This vital medicine, which is also used during miscarriage treatment, is proven safe & effective—it should be available to those who need it, when they need it.

RFK, Jr becoming the number 1 cause of death.

Bill HB7 passed Texas senate, we should all be concerned as this moves toward a final vote

3 states renew their effort to reduce access to the abortion drug mifepristone Three states are asking a judge to let them try a new approach with a lawsuit to force the federal government to reduce access to the abortion pill mifepristone.

apnews.com/article/abor...

Mifepristone is one of the safest studied medications, and safer than most over the counter medications. Further Restriction of access is not based on science.

Scientists breathe new life into climate website after shutdown under Trump Climate.gov, which went dark this summer, to be revived by volunteers as climate.us with expanded mission

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Top FDA official demands removal of YouTube videos in which he criticized Covid vaccines Channel was an attempt to ‘preserve’ what Trump officials in current Trump administration said during the pandemic

“Prasad’s comments still appeared on anti-vaccine social media accounts, suggesting Prasad was directing his removal demand only at a critic and not anti-vaccine influencers. In the past, Prasad has complained about censorship by social media companies.”

Yeah, cause he is an antivaxxer and a fraud.

They give great joy! Welcome to the corner

Opinion | We Ran the C.D.C.: Kennedy Is Endangering Every American’s Health

9 CDC Directors going back to 1977 speak out. What RFK Jr has done to our nation’s public health system "should alarm every American."

It "is unlike anything we have ever seen at the agency, and unlike anything our country has ever experienced." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/o...

Found out a cheaper version of it is at our hospital in the last year! They give it and it still blows my mind

Just a heads up. I was able to schedule my COVID vaccine appointment. Online it will ask “do you have a condition that puts you at high risk for severe outcomes from COVID-19 virus.”

Click yes and it will allow you to schedule an appointment.

No questions asked.

No proof required.

Pass it on.

Sign the Petition RFK Jr. Must Be Removed—Before More Damage is Done, Before More Lives are Lost

hmmm...i posted a different one today. i'm confused why they are hosting two similar ones.

The loss of highly experienced CDC leadership is the latest devastating result of the Administration’s sustained attacks on public health, and it absolutely must be the last.

Our statement: https://bit.ly/41XOkU7

Agreed, it already was and now it’s accelerated

My resignation letter from CDC. Dear Dr. Houry, I am writing to formally resign from my position as Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effective August 28, 2025, close of business. I am happy to stay on for two weeks to provide transition, if requested. This decision has not come easily, as I deeply value the work that the CDC does in safeguarding public health and am proud of my contributions to that critical mission. However, after much contemplation and reflection on recent developments and perspectives brought to light by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., I find that the views he and his staff have shared challenge my ability to continue in my current role at the agency and in the service of the health of the American people. Enough is enough. While I hold immense respect for the institution and my colleagues, I believe that it is imperative to align my professional responsibilities to my system of ethics and my understanding of the science of infectious disease, immunology, and my promise to serve the American people. This step is necessary to ensure that I can contribute effectively in a capacity that allows me to remain true to my principles.

The recent change in the adult and children’s immunization schedule threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people. The data analyses that supported this decision have never been shared with CDC despite my respectful requests to HHS and other leadership. This lack of meaningful engagement was further compounded by a “frequently asked questions” document written to support the Secretary’s directive that was circulated by HHS without input from CDC subject matter experts and that cited studies that did not support the conclusions that were attributed to these authors. Having worked in local and national public health for years, I have never experienced such radical non-transparency, nor have I seen such unskilled manipulation of data to achieve a political end rather than the good of the American people. It is untenable to serve in an organization that is not afforded the opportunity to discuss decisions of scientific and public health importance released under the moniker of CDC. The lack of communication by HHS and other CDC political leadership that culminates in social media posts announcing major policy changes without prior notice demonstrate a disregard of normal communication channels and common sense. Having to retrofit analyses and policy actions to match inadequately thought-out announcements in poorly scripted videos or page long X posts should not be how organizations responsible for the health of people should function. Some examples include the announcement of the change in the COVID-19 recommendations for children and pregnant people, the firing of scientists from ACIP by X post and an op-ed rather than direct communication with these valuable experts, the announcement of new ACIP members by X before onboarding and vetting have completed, and the release of term of reference for an ACIP workgroup that ignored all feedback from career staff at CDC.

Their desire to please a political base will result in death and disability of vulnerable children and adults. Their base should be the people they serve not a political voting bloc. I have always been first to challenge scientific and public health dogma in my career and was excited by the opportunity to do so again. I was optimistic that there would be an opportunity to brief the Secretary about key topics such as measles, avian influenza, and the highly coordinated approach to the respiratory virus season. Such briefings would allow exchange of ideas and a shared path to support the vision of “Making America Healthy Again.” We are seven months into the new administration, and no CDC subject matter expert from my Center has ever briefed the Secretary. I am not sure who the Secretary is listening to, but it is quite certainly not to us. Unvetted and conflicted outside organizations seem to be the sources HHS use over the gold standard science of CDC and other reputable sources. At a hearing, Secretary Kennedy said that Americans should not take medical advice from him. To the contrary, an appropriately briefed and inquisitive Secretary should be a source of health information for the people he serves. As it stands now, I must agree with him, that he should not be considered a source of accurate information. The intentional eroding of trust in low-risk vaccines favoring natural infection and unproven remedies will bring us to a pre-vaccine era where only the strong will survive and many if not all will suffer. I believe in nutrition and exercise. I believe in making our food supply healthier, and I also believe in using vaccines to prevent death and disability. Eugenics plays prominently in the rhetoric being generated and is derivative of a legacy that good medicine and science should continue to shun.

The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud. I am resigning because of the cowardice of a leader that cannot admit that HIS and his minions’ words over decades created an environment where violence like this can occur. I reject his and his colleagues’ thoughts and prayers, and advise they direct those to people that they have not actively harmed. For decades, I have been a trusted voice for the LGBTQ community when it comes to critical health topics. I must also cite the recklessness of the administration in their efforts to erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming, and terminate key research to support equity as part of my decision. Public health is not merely about the health of the individual, but it is about the health of the community, the nation, the world. The nation’s health security is at risk and is in the hands of people focusing on ideological self-interest. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunities for growth, learning, and collaboration that I have been afforded during my time at the CDC. It has been a privilege to work alongside such dedicated professionals who are committed to improving the health and well-being of communities across the nation even when under attack from within both physically and psychologically. Thank you once again for the support and guidance I have received from you and previous CDC leadership throughout my tenure. I wish the CDC continued success in its vital mission and that HHS reverse its dangerous course to dismantle public health as a practice and as an institution. If they continue the current path, they risk our personal well-being and the security of the United States.

Full resignation letter from Demetre C. Daskalakis, a CDC leader, does not hold back.
"The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud."

This is not good for our society

New one for me: patients came in saying they used ChatGPT for their medical advice and information. Maybe I’m late to the party, how do you even respond to this?

YouTube video by Dr. Aziz Rahman Gaza Medical Mission - Grand Rounds - 2025

Medical mission to Gaza Grand around - sharing as it is worth watching youtu.be/Ygsq78Y5oMs?...

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/m... a dear friend of mine, mentor, colleague and fiercely brave OBGYN mother shares her journey. All should read this, esp if in medicine

Mt Rainier is beautiful

It was a kite day earlier this week. Simplicity is needed and so desired

The Senate just passed its version of the reconciliation bill, which would strip health care access from millions of people. Tell Congress to vote NO on H.R. 1: bit.ly/3RWVW41 #ObGynsInAction #HandsOffMedicaid #MedicaidMatters

Happy Pride Parade - you are loved, appreciated and valid. Love is love 🌈