Apoorva Mandavilli

He could see that maybe not all healthy kids need the vaccine, but that it was still really important to vaccinate pregnant women. So that

He could see that maybe not all healthy kids need the vaccine, but that it was still really important to vaccinate pregnant women. So that

Part of this announcement saying healthy pregnant women shouldn't get the vaccine anymore, that's really thrown a lot of experts for a loop and they're quite angry about it because the data that they're familiar with says that there is a benefit and that kids should continue to get the vaccine and pregnant women especially should continue to get the vaccine.

Part of this announcement saying healthy pregnant women shouldn't get the vaccine anymore, that's really thrown a lot of experts for a loop and they're quite angry about it because the data that they're familiar with says that there is a benefit and that kids should continue to get the vaccine and pregnant women especially should continue to get the vaccine.

And so they're left wondering if this is not based on science at all and if it's politically motivated. And that makes them very nervous about what else is going to get caught up in this kind of decision making.

And so they're left wondering if this is not based on science at all and if it's politically motivated. And that makes them very nervous about what else is going to get caught up in this kind of decision making.

Okay, so just let me geek out a little bit on how the process normally works. Please. Usually when you have a vaccine, the FDA will look at all of the data on its safety and effectiveness that the companies present. And its advisors talk about the vaccine. And then the FDA makes a decision. It says, OK, the vaccine is safe and effective and it approves it or not. Let's say it approves the vaccine.

Okay, so just let me geek out a little bit on how the process normally works. Please. Usually when you have a vaccine, the FDA will look at all of the data on its safety and effectiveness that the companies present. And its advisors talk about the vaccine. And then the FDA makes a decision. It says, OK, the vaccine is safe and effective and it approves it or not. Let's say it approves the vaccine.

Then there are scientific advisors to the CDC who are more clinical, you know, are more sort of on the medical side, who are doctors. the data and they talk about it all. And then they make a recommendation on who should get the vaccine that the FDA has said is safe and effective.

Then there are scientific advisors to the CDC who are more clinical, you know, are more sort of on the medical side, who are doctors. the data and they talk about it all. And then they make a recommendation on who should get the vaccine that the FDA has said is safe and effective.

So they make the clinical decisions of who should get the vaccine, when they should get it, should they get it with other shots or should they get it by itself, etc. So that's a series of steps and eventually ends with the CDC director accepting or modifying what the CDC advisor said. And then it becomes sort of official recommendation. CDC does not make rules or laws.

So they make the clinical decisions of who should get the vaccine, when they should get it, should they get it with other shots or should they get it by itself, etc. So that's a series of steps and eventually ends with the CDC director accepting or modifying what the CDC advisor said. And then it becomes sort of official recommendation. CDC does not make rules or laws.

It just makes recommendations. And then the states can decide what they do with those recommendations. And it's the states that decide, OK, if a kid wants to enter kindergarten, these are all the vaccines that the kid who lives in this state must have had.

It just makes recommendations. And then the states can decide what they do with those recommendations. And it's the states that decide, OK, if a kid wants to enter kindergarten, these are all the vaccines that the kid who lives in this state must have had.

Right now for COVID, there are no states that mandate the vaccine. Let's just get that out there. So we're just talking about recommendations right now. And in this case, what has happened is that the HHS secretary, RFK Jr., has just made an announcement about what's going to happen without having gone through any of those previous formal steps where there's lots of discussion, lots of review.

Right now for COVID, there are no states that mandate the vaccine. Let's just get that out there. So we're just talking about recommendations right now. And in this case, what has happened is that the HHS secretary, RFK Jr., has just made an announcement about what's going to happen without having gone through any of those previous formal steps where there's lots of discussion, lots of review.

It's all public. It's all documented. And anybody can listen in and watch and look at the presentations and see the data.

It's all public. It's all documented. And anybody can listen in and watch and look at the presentations and see the data.

Exactly. Exactly.

Exactly. Exactly.