Alexander Tin
@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social
Reported for CBS News in D.C. on federal public health. Raised in sunny Nevada. Decided to move overseas to be near family.
The CDC now estimates that COVID-19 cases are likely growing in half of states, as this year's summer wave now looks to be getting underway It comes as health authorities are tracking elevated trends of another respiratory germ, Parvovirus B19 www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-c...
COVID cases likely rising in half of states, CDC estimates
Many Southeast, Southern and West Coast states are likely seeing an increase in COVID cases.
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The backlog of delayed grants at HHS has swelled to more than a billion dollars, in wake of DOGE reviews that stalled process Now we're told ACF is bringing some laid-off staff back temporarily, as officials try to rush awards out door in time www.cbsnews.com/news/hhs-fac...
HHS facing billion-dollar backlog of delayed grants after DOGE
Delayed funds include grants for youth homelessness and domestic violence.
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Why did CDC take down its evidence review debunking fears thimerosal was causing autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders? Dr. Robert Malone told ACIP today its publication had not been authorized by Secy Kennedy's office w/ Sara Moniuszko www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-...
The former president of Children's Health Defense, Lyn Redwood, isn't just presenting at tomorrow's ACIP about thimerosal We're told that CDC is also going to hire Redwood to work in the agency's Immunization Safety Office www.cbsnews.com/news/cdc-vac...
CDC to hire former head of anti-vaccine group founded by RFK Jr.
Lyn Redwood, who spread debunked claims about vaccines, will be in the CDC's Immunization Safety Office, multiple CDC officials tell CBS News.
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The CDC tells us 36 cases (3%) of measles so far this year had been vaccinated with ≥2 doses before they were exposed None of cases hospitalized and 83% ages 20 and older In TX, we heard Monday all 2+ vaccinated cases in children were 8 and younger www.cbsnews.com/news/measles...
Yesterday's ruling striking down NIH cuts to research funding linked to topics like diversity, gender and vaccine hesitancy could be blocked HHS tells us they are "exploring all legal options, including filing an appeal and moving to stay the order" www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-n...
Federal judge strikes down Trump cuts to NIH medical research grants linked to diversity, gender
A federal judge struck down sweeping Trump administration orders that resulted in the cancellation of hundreds of National Institutes of Health research grants.
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Dr. Fiona Havers, head of agency's RESP-NET hospitalization data, resigned from the CDC today "I no longer have confidence that these data will be used objectively or evaluated with appropriate scientific rigor to make evidence-based vaccine policy decisions." www.cbsnews.com/news/fiona-h...
CDC official overseeing COVID hospitalization data resigns after RFK Jr.'s vaccine orders
Dr. Fiona Havers' resignation follows RFK Jr.'s orders to change the CDC's vaccine recommendations.
cbsnews.com
The CDC has released new measles guidance for summer camps, urging to check for measles immunity in campers and staff, stockpiling face masks It comes as we're now less than a hundred cases from setting a record, marking worst year since 20th century www.cbsnews.com/news/cdc-urg...
CDC urges summer camps to check for measles immunity, as U.S. nears record
The CDC's new "checklist" comes amid a deadly year of measles outbreaks that is now near record levels.
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We've updated our story with more details about Secy Kennedy's picks to be CDC's vaccine advisers For example, GWU told us Dr Michael A Ross hasn't been a professor there since 2017. VCU says he was an "affiliate faculty member" until 2021 www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-...
Alexander Tin@alexander-a-tin.bsky.social · last yr.Here's our story on what we know about Secy Kennedy's new picks for CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices It caps a monthslong search for replacements. We're told Kennedy and his aides started asking for suggestions early this year www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-...
Beyond Secy Kennedy replacing members of CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices We're told Dr. Melinda Wharton and other career agency officials are now purged from roles overseeing committee's vetting, agenda, and planning www.cbsnews.com/news/cdc-pur...
CDC purges career officials from oversight of vaccine committee
News of their removal comes after the firing of the CDC's outside vaccine advisers.
cbsnews.com
Here's our story on what we know about Secy Kennedy's new picks for CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices It caps a monthslong search for replacements. We're told Kennedy and his aides started asking for suggestions early this year www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-...
RFK Jr. taps allies and COVID vaccine critics among picks for CDC advisory panel. Here's who's on the list.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired the previous roster of the CDC's vaccine advisers on Monday.
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This evening, a member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices told us they received "formal notice of your immediate termination" "This is horrifying," a CDC official said of Secy Kennedy's move www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-...
Today FDA resumed hiring food investigators, after being stalled for months by White House freeze We're told nearly 1 in 5 positions are now vacant in agency's food inspectorate Last month, agency told HHS OIG that nearly 90 investigative positions empty www.cbsnews.com/news/fda-foo...
FDA food inspector vacancies near 20% after Trump hiring freeze
The Trump administration's cost-cutting efforts have encouraged departures and stalled hiring at the FDA.
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Touting recent charges of Chinese researchers, FBI called Fusarium graminearum a "potential agroterrorism weapon" A retired USDA ARS scientist who co-authored with them told us this fungus is already "extremely prevalent" in North America, likely originated here www.cbsnews.com/news/fungus-...
Fungus in "agroterrorism" arrest already widely prevalent in U.S., researcher says
Two Chinese researchers were charged with trying to smuggle strains of a fungus called Fusarium graminearum into the U.S.
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A CDC official is resigning from role overseeing updates COVID-19 vaccine recommendations In an email to others in group, she said she started in public health to help most vulnerable "that is not something I am able to continue doing in this role" www.cbsnews.com/news/cdc-off...
CDC official overseeing COVID-19 vaccine recommendations resigns
The resignation follows an order by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to change the agency's guidance.
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Will norovirus surge early again this year? CDC's Emerging Infectious Diseases journal is out with a new report on the rise of a new strain from this notorious stomach bug called GII.17, now dominant nationwide www.cbsnews.com/news/norovir...
Will norovirus surge early again this year? CDC urges tracking of new strain.
The norovirus strain GII.17 may have disrupted the seasonal pattern of outbreaks.
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The CDC has stepped up its warning about the risk of measles while traveling It comes after at least 62 reports of travelers contagious with virus, including at least 1 situation determined to be spread within airplane www.cbsnews.com/news/cdc-mea...
Following Secy Kennedy's announcement The CDC has now updated its childhood immunization schedule, which now says "children 6 months and older may receive COVID-19 vaccination" www.cbsnews.com/news/cdc-kid...
A reminder that CDC's COVID-19 vaccine recommendations are directly tied to: - requirements for what health insurance is required to cover with no out-of-pocket costs - liability protections expanding access to COVID shots in places like pharmacies www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-...
RFK Jr. says CDC will no longer recommend COVID vaccine for children and pregnant women
Kennedy's move appears to shortcut the CDC's outside vaccine advisers, dropping COVID vaccines from the list recommended for children and pregnant women.
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The CDC's airport screening program with Ginkgo Bioworks has now detected multiple cases of the new COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1, which has been linked to a recent surge in China www.cbsnews.com/news/us-repo...
U.S. reports cases of new COVID variant NB.1.8.1 behind surge in China
Authorities in Hong Kong say COVID-19 levels are the worst in at least a year.
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Here's our coverage on White House MAHA Commission's new report, highlighting 4 factors for childhood disease Secy Kennedy called it "probably the strongest and most radical consensus by a government agency in history about the state of America's health" www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-...
RFK Jr. releases "MAHA" report on childhood chronic disease. Here's what to know.
The "Make America Healthy Again" report outlines what it says are four leading drivers of childhood disease, but it is facing criticism from some health officials.
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The FDA is ordering Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna to expand warnings about myocarditis/pericarditis from their shots HHS told us: "Americans deserve radical transparency around the safety and efficacy of COVID vaccines and the FDA is delivering" www.cbsnews.com/news/fda-cov...
Asked today by Sen Hyde Smith about Thursday's MAHA report, Secy Kennedy sought to reassure farmers on what it will say about pesticides "The drafts that I've seen, there is not a single word in them that should worry the American farmer" www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-...
RFK Jr. tells farmers, GOP not to worry about his report targeting pesticides
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to release a report Thursday on how pesticides and other issues may be linked to childhood chronic diseases.
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The FDA will continue approving COVID-19 vaccine updates, based on immunogenicity, for seniors and other with an underlying condition Dr Vinay Prasad said he thinks interim results on new placebo studies for others could be out "by next calendar year" www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-v...
![Vinay Prasad, FDA [13:32:01] And there's another lesson there, which is that change in medicine isn't always easy. You know, there are lots of advances in medicine that aren't always easy. And I think there's going to be some people out there who are concerned about various aspects of our framework, but ultimately I do think this is a step forward. And a lot of these questions will be answered by next calendar year when we start to get the interim results of some of these studies back, and we will have more information to tell the American people and the results of these studies could surprise everybody. We don't know what the-- that's the whole point of running a study. You don't know what you're going to get.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:uxvc5nwyutzf5gtu4x7jqyk3/bafkreibuvzg5vzzdm6xu5ydcly46jkpao7db4ymjmvsp2qirybakvprgy4)
Steep cuts to federal research grants have now disrupted millions in awards once backed by former President Joe Biden's "Cancer Moonshot" initiative, after funding was frozen to Harvard and Columbia www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-c...
Biden's "Cancer Moonshot" hit by Trump's cuts to research at Harvard and Columbia
The Trump administration's cuts to medical research grants have disrupted awards once backed by former President Joe Biden's "Cancer Moonshot" initiative.
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Some of NIH's top brain researchers got layoff notices last month While they were asked to keep working in labs for now, their layoffs were never rescinded "As far as I know, we have not fired any working scientists," Secy Kennedy had told Congress www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-...
RFK Jr. told Congress no working scientists were fired, but these top NIH brain scientists are still facing job cuts
"As far as I know, we have not fired any working scientists," RFK Jr. had told Congress.
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A new CDC study estimates hundreds of drowning deaths could be prevented by more pool fences & life jackets while boating It was one of last authored by agency's injury prevention researchers, before Secy Kennedy's layoffs largely eliminated them www.cbsnews.com/news/pool-fe...
Pool fences and life jackets could save hundreds of lives, CDC estimates
The study was one of the CDC's last before its injury prevention teams were laid off.
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The FDA has granted its first marketing authorization to an Alzheimer's blood test It comes years after other Alzheimer's blood tests entered the U.S. market, which were "laboratory developed tests" not subject to the agency's oversight www.cbsnews.com/news/fda-fir...
FDA greenlights marketing of first Alzheimer's blood test for some patients
Japan-based Fujirebio's test, which helps doctors diagnose Alzheimer's disease, is intended for patients with signs of cognitive decline.
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The FDA is planning to revisit its approval of the so-called "yoga mat" chemical bread ingredient that's banned in Europe, known as azodicarbonamide or ADA www.cbsnews.com/news/fda-yog...
FDA to revisit approval of "yoga mat" bread ingredient banned in Europe
The FDA is prioritizing the review of some previously approved food additives, including ADA, dubbed the "yoga mat" chemical.
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