Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) got into a heated exchange about vaccines with former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Susan Monarez.
During a Wednesday hearing about Monarez’s ouster from the agency, Paul grilled her about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and the need for newborns to get a hepatitis B shot.
When Paul argued that evidence did not support CDC recommendations, Monarez disagreed.
“Does the COVID vaccine reduce hospitalization for children under 18?” Paul asked.
“It can,” Monarez replied.
“It doesn’t,” Paul shot back.
Paul also attacked Monarez for her refusal to fire career scientists. He alleged they would not support changing COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for infants.
“You resisted firing people who have this idea that the COVID vaccine should be at 6 months. That’s what this is about,” Paul said. “You didn’t resist firing the beautiful scientists, the career people … unobjective and unbiased. You wouldn’t fire the people who are saying that we have to vaccinate our kids at 6 months of age. That’s who you refuse to fire.”
Paul also railed about CDC’s recommendation that hepatitis B vaccines be given to newborns.
Administering the vaccine to newborns has been standard practice since 1991, but Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s handpicked vaccine advisers are expected to walk back the recommendation during their two-day meeting beginning Thursday.
Monarez responded she was open to changes backed by science.
“I just would not precommit to approving all the ACIP recommendations without the science,” she said, referring to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a CDC committee.
Monarez said the scientists she refused to dismiss “never said that they are precommitted to maintaining any of the decisions that had been made. All of us had agreed that the science evolves and we need to see the data and the evidence to ensure that we are protecting our children.”
