Covid-19 and RSV head data scientist dramatically quits saying she doesn’t trust RFK Jr department to use it ‘objectively’
CDC virus expert quits after RFK Jr. purges vaccine advisers
- Fiona Havers, a scientist in charge of Covid-19 and RSV data at the Centers for Disease Control, resigned on Monday after 13 years with the agency.
- Havers stated she no longer trusts that the CDC, under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will use the data objectively or with scientific rigor for vaccine policy decisions.
- Havers highlighted her work in presenting data at Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) meetings since 2020, which informed decisions on vaccine messaging and disease tracking.
- Kennedy recently removed and replaced all 17 members of the ACIP, stating the move was to restore public trust and ensure evidence-based medicine, but replaced them with individuals critical of vaccines.
- Havers' resignation follows those of other CDC vaccine advisors, including Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos and Melinda Wharton.