Friendly reminder that pushback works - we are not powerless. Defend public health.

Masks are incredibly effective when they’re actually worn. They’re not effective when they’re in your hand, in your pocket, under your chin or under your nose. If you upgrade to a respirator like an N95? Even better! Mask up to avoid Covid, flu and stay healthy this holiday season.

Amid a firehose of falsehoods about vaccines, new CDC data show that last year’s Covid booster reduced the risk of severe illness by 76% among kids aged 6 months to 4 years old and 56% among kids aged 5 to 17 years old.

If you want to protect yourself against the flu that’s going around: wear a mask. And if you want to protect yourself against the Covid that’s going around: wear a mask. And if you want to protect yourself against the “something” that’s going around: wear a mask.

Looks like the Supreme Court is gearing up to force states to allow religious exemptions to childhood vaccine requirements for school entry. The completely unnecessary carnage that is going to have to occur to stop the war on Public Health will be ghastly. It doesn’t have to be this way.

As the COVID-19 response coordinator under Biden, Ashish Jha is responsible for minimizing COVID's impact and the "let it rip" approach. This is BAD news for pandemic preparedness.

Egg producers suspect bird flu is traveling through the air. After a disastrous Midwestern outbreak early this year, we tested that theory and found that where the wind blew, the virus followed. Vaccines could help, but the USDA hasn’t approved them.

- He stopped the policy of encouraging flu immunization in Louisiana - Delayed reporting on a pertussis outbreak that killed two children in Louisiana. -Promoted false information on covid vaccine harms. He is now number 2 at CDC. www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...

Some vaccines like COVID and flu don’t stop completely stop infection. But they do reduce the risk of getting infected and greatly reduce severe illness risk. They are still worth getting. Since they are not 100% effective it’s also wise to add another layer of protection by wearing a mask.

"Viruses don’t take vacations. The longest government shutdown ever puts everyone’s health at greater risk because the data and reports that are essential for monitoring the spread of diseases haven’t been updated for weeks." — me in @huffpost.com

LFG!!! Public health IS political, and always has been.

RFK Jr. will eliminate as many vaccines as he can. Every step he takes at the CDC is in service of this aim, as well as undermining public health infrastructure overall. He cannot tolerate scientists who know more than he does, so they must go. Another great piece by @melodyschreiber.com.

I wish they said explicitly that there's $5 billion in emergency reserves they're refusing to use instead they're happy to let people - mostly children, the disabled, and elderly, starve.

The New England Journal of Medicine and the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy will be publishing regular public health alerts to replace the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, which has been paused due to the federal government shutdown.

CDC has finally adopted the recommendations its vaccine panel made Sept. 19. This should increase access to Covid vaccines somewhat — CVS and Walgreens had said once the recs were official, they'd offer the shots w/o Rx nationwide, and Vaccines for Children program also needed the official approval

Some good news: you can still get a COVID vaccine, without a prescription. Bad news: it will come with a side of disinformation. 😡 (see thread)

"“He did not have any data or science to point to,” 🚨 www.statnews.com/2025/09/17/m... #FireRFKJr

As I wrote about for @motherjones.com, people are already crossing state lines to get the Covid vaccine—which may become more common if the CDC vaccine advisory committee recommends limiting them this week. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Update on Novavax COVID vaccine availability from a New York Times reporter: they haven’t been shipped out yet but the supplier plans to ship next week.

If you or your children want to get a COVID vaccine, get one before the ACIP meeting on September 18. This is not good news: www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

Got my COVID booster at Costco in Colorado! No qualifying conditions, no questions asked. Heads up: they had run out of the Moderna mNEXspike and it sounds like they are limiting that one to people with qualifying conditions or over 65. They said they'd have it back in stock soon.

🚨 UPDATE on the current COVID vaccine access situation in the US. Please note that this is based on state laws but different things may be happening on the ground, and some pharmacies are defaulting to federal guidelines instead of state laws.

It is absolutely wild that the person in charge of health in America has be roundly condemned and labeled as dangerous by: - Former CDC directors - Former Surgeons General - Multiple medical professional societies - Health professionals across multiple platforms And still holds his position.

As of last week, 16 states were requiring prescriptions for the COVID vaccine. The situation is still fluid, but several states have issued standing orders that make it available to anyone, without prescriptions: Massachusetts, Colorado, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Washington.

Good news for Coloradans who want to get a COVID vaccine w/o obtaining a Rx: CDPHE "has issued a standing order to allow pharmacists to provide COVID-19 vaccines without individual prescriptions. The standing order will take effect on Friday, September 5, 2025." 👏 www.colorado.gov/governor/new...

New statement: IDSA, APHA and partners call for RFK Jr. to resign: "Our country needs leadership that will promote open, honest dialogue — not disregard decades of lifesaving science, spread misinformation, reverse medical progress and decimate programs that keep us safe." bit.ly/3JOgDya

"The case is clear: He should never have been let anywhere near public health, healthcare and biomedical science in this country. Congress needs to act. And we need to make them do it. RFK Jr. needs to go. Now." 🔥🔥🔥 @gregggonsalves.bsky.social www.thenation.com/article/soci...

Glad to see more states coming together to follow evidence-based vaccine recommendations, independent of a compromised CDC. The downside of this will be patchwork vaccine guidance that varies state to state. www.king5.com/article/news... Reminder: viruses cross state lines!

🚨🚨 Over 1,000 colleagues across Health and Human Services (HHS) have signed a letter demanding RFK Jr’s resignation. When your own staff lines up to say you’re bad at your job… that’s not “health freedom,” that’s just failure. #SaveHHS #DemandRFKJrResign #USAnotRFK

Hey @colorado.gov - any updates on removing the prescription requirement for COVID vaccines?

Hoping to see Colorado follow New Mexico's lead in ensuring access to the COVID vaccine for anyone who wants one. Gov. Jared Polis has, in the past, been supportive of RFK but posted this in the Reddit r/Denver AMA last week. His main takeaway: "Denver doesn't like RFK one bit!" ✅

Please check on your friends working in public health. We haven't been okay since January 😵‍💫

#NIH is hanging by a thread. The #CDC has been decimated. #RFK Jr. and Russell #Vought are psychopaths--I don't say this frivolously--they are cold, calculating, inflicting violence on millions through public policy. It is where we are right now. These men are not normal. 1/

Even those within the federal government are calling out the eugenics behind RFK Jr’s anti science policies. It’s a cull. Anyone who’s not “healthy” is expendable.

This gif is getting a lot of use today 😵‍💫

What the foop is going on today at the CDC 👀

COVID is still a threat - for everyone. People of all ages and risk groups should be able to get vaccinated if they want to. www.statnews.com/2025/08/27/f...

Ironically, when I lived in BC for 4+ years, I traveled to the U.S. for all of my COVID boosters since the provincial health system was always slow to roll them out to my age/risk group. This is a smart move, but it may not improve access in Canada w/o changes to eligibility in each province.

Don't forget the raw milk 🙄

If you follow the data (imperfect as it is), you've known we were heading towards a COVID surge for at least a few weeks. When my coworkers start saying "I know so many people with COVID right now," I know shit's about to hit the fan. Mask up! It's never too late to start masking again.

Glad to see that professional organizations are stepping up and leading the way in making evidence-based recommendations for vaccination.

This is a great article dissecting the tactics that anti-vaxxers have used to sow distrust in vaccines. "The conclusion from all of the high-quality studies has been the same for decades: Vaccines do not cause autism." #VaccinesWork www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

This!!

🧵 Flu Season 2025-26: Key Info (thank you @kffhealthnews.org @politifact.bsky.social ) TL;DR: Get your flu shot this fall. It's safe, effective, and the best way to prevent severe illness, hospitalization, and death.

Thank you, Jerome Adams (former Surgeon General), for speaking up about the CDC shooting, and where we go from here. "Public health workers are not the enemy" 👏 www.statnews.com/2025/08/09/c...

"Public health workers are not the enemy:" former surgeon general Jerome Adams on yesterday's alarming attack on the CDC. www.statnews.com/2025/08/09/c...

“The intersection of disinformation, conspiracy theories and political violence is getting scarier by the day...this is now going beyond defunding of infectious diseases and public health to political violence against the people working in those fields” 💔 www.nytimes.com/2025/08/09/u...

Anti-vaccine misinformation kills, in more than one way. This is awful, and terrifying for anyone who works in public health. RFK Jr. and his cronies should be held accountable. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/09/u...

Feel like this needs a spotlight: employees were told that the shooting at CDC, which left an officer dead and buildings riddled with bullets, was targeted at agency, @lenasun.bsky.social, @laurenweberhp.bsky.social and @tobiaraji.bsky.social report Years of anti-CDC rhetoric has consequences

Or - hear me out - people could just get the highly effective MMR vaccine that we already have, which is 97% effective against measles, and never be in the position of needing treatment. #VaccinesWork