The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has officially blocked the publication of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that found COVID-19 vaccinations significantly reduce hospitalization rates.
The decision, confirmed Wednesday by HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon, prevents the findings from appearing in the CDC’s flagship scientific journal, the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). The manuscript was originally scheduled for release on March 19.
Nixon attributed the move to “concerns about the methodological approach” used to estimate vaccine effectiveness. He stated that scientific reports undergo rigorous internal reviews to ensure they meet the highest standards before reaching the public.
“The manuscript was not accepted for publication,” Nixon said, echoing earlier statements that it is “routine” for leadership to flag concerns regarding study design and analytic assumptions.
Jay Bhattacharya, the acting head of the CDC and current director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), reportedly spearheaded the halt. Sources indicate Bhattacharya raised specific objections to the study’s methodology. The agency is currently in a leadership transition as President Donald Trump’s nominee for CDC director, Erica Schwartz, awaits Senate confirmation.
The suppression of the report comes amid a significant shift in federal health policy under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kennedy, a prominent critic of mandatory immunization, has frequently questioned the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 shots first introduced in 2021.
During a March 2025 interview, Kennedy emphasized a “freedom-of-choice” platform. “We should have transparency,” Kennedy stated. “If people don’t want it, the government shouldn’t force them to do it.”
Kennedy’s history includes lobbying for vaccine opt-out domestic policies and publishing The Real Anthony Fauci, a book that accused public health officials of orchestrating a “coup d’etat against Western democracy.” His past rhetoric, including comparisons of vaccine mandates to the actions of Nazi Germany, has drawn public rebukes from members of the Kennedy family.
The CDC defended the rejection as a matter of scientific integrity. In a statement, an official emphasized that the organization must apply “the highest standards of scientific rigor,” particularly when data could influence clinical decisions.
“When questions arise about methodology—such as study design, representativeness, bias, or analytic assumptions—we address them directly,” the official stated.
While the CDC maintains its commitment to “timely publication and transparency,” the decision to withhold data linking vaccines to reduced hospitalizations has intensified concerns regarding the potential politicization of federal health research.
Secretary Kennedy has not yet issued a formal comment on the blocked report.
