Even With CDC Suppressing COVID-19 Vaccine Data, Clinicians Advocate for Their Value

This is part of a short series with leaders of medical professional organizations to gain insights around the revised Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) charter, as well as commentary around the federal government’s suppression of COVID-19 vaccine data.

In April, it was reported the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had suppressed COVID-19 vaccine data from being published in the federal agency’s flagship publication, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).¹ The study results found that vaccination cut the likelihood of emergency visits due to COVID-19 by 50% and hospitalizations by 55%.²

“We need to remember that the science hasn't changed. The science continues to show that these vaccines reduce the risk for disease, disability, death… and these comments that have been made pointing at things that are not factual, should not change our action,” said Robert Hopkins Jr, MD, medical director of NFID. “ We need to follow the science and protect our patients based on what the science shows, and we need to continue to evaluate the science and publish it when we get new results.”

It is important to note, that these types of studies are published to provide the latest evidence, which can help clinicians, public health departments, industry, and other interested stakeholders respond to the latest data. This move towards suppressing this data is a distinct ideology, which is a departure from how previous federal agency leaderships have operated.

Despite the efforts to suppress the vaccine data, Hopkins points out their utility.

“The COVID-19 vaccines that we have available have saved millions of lives in the United States and around the world.” he said. “These vaccines do cause some reactogenicity, not uncommon at all, for people to have fever, pain in the arm, sometimes swollen lymph nodes in the area. But there are no common serious adverse events with these vaccines. It continues to amaze me how we have spent so much time and effort in a lot of areas on minimizing the value of these vaccines and focusing on trying to prove that they hurt people when they have been a tremendous lifesaver here and around the world.”

References
1. Sun LH. CDC won’t publish report showing COVID shots cut likelihood of hospital visits. Washington Post. April 22, 2026. Accessed April 22, 2026. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/04/22/covid-vaccine-report-blocked-cdc-mmwr/
2.Mandavilli A. The C.D.C. canceled the publication of a study showing the benefits of COVID vaccines. New York Times. April 22, 2026. Accessed April 22, 2026. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/04/22/us/trump-news-updates#section-640670104