US vaccine panel retreats from mRNA Covid review ahead of midterms

Advisers to RFK Jr drop the plan to end federal guidance amid Republican worries about the political impact Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email A major federal panel that advises the government on vaccines has stepped back from efforts targeting Covid-19 mRNA vaccines, a change that comes as some Republicans reportedly caution that additional shifts in vaccine policy could hurt the party in the upcoming midterm elections. Several vaccine advisers selected by Robert F Kennedy Jr, the health secretary, had been exploring the possibility of ending federal recommendations for mRNA covid shots. That initiative is no longer going forward, according to two sources familiar with the discussions who spoke to the Washington Post. Members of the health department’s vaccine advisory committee (ACIP) in recent months have openly raised concerns about both the safety and production of the vaccines despite widespread research. Some of those comments included repeating a debunked claim that DNA contamination in the shots posed a health risk. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) press secretary, Emily G Hilliard, said in a statement to the Guardian that “the committee