Trump cuts funds to schools with COVID-19 vaccine mandate

This week, RFK Jr. made a misleading statement about vaccine safety monitoring systems, as Louisiana officially ended vaccine promotion. Regional posts focused on vaccine access, Texas’s measles outbreaks, and vaccine requirements for organ transplants.

This week, state and federal government officials targeted COVID-19 and routine vaccinations. President Donald Trump followed through on his campaign promise to end funding to any school or university that requires students to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Meanwhile, Trump’s newly appointed HHS secretary vowed to create a new vaccine safety system while claiming without evidence that existing ones don’t work. At the state level, Louisiana’s health department officially ended the promotion of all vaccination campaigns.

Regional vaccine conversations discussed access to free vaccines, the growing measles outbreak in West Texas, a child whose parents refused a vaccination required for a heart transplant, and bird flu vaccines for chickens.

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What’s trending nationally in vaccine conversation:

On February 14, Trump signed an executive order cutting federal funds to K-12 and higher education institutions that require COVID-19 vaccines for enrollment. Notably, most institutions no longer require COVID-19 vaccinations. Some social media users celebrated the executive order, while others called for eliminating all vaccine mandates and changing the immunization schedule. Several posts criticized the order for pandering to false claims about COVID-19 vaccines and expressed concerns that a similar order targeting other vaccines may follow. 

In a February 13 internal memo, Louisiana’s surgeon general wrote that the state will no longer promote vaccination. Instead, the health department “will encourage each patient to discuss the risks and benefits of vaccination with their provider.” New Orleans’ health officials publicly rejected the new policy, stating that the city’s health department—which operates independently from the state health department—will “continue to strongly promote childhood and seasonal vaccination, and expand our efforts locally to fill any gaps left by the state’s new direction.” In a social media post, the surgeon general said the policy was about “restoring trust in public health” and claimed that while some vaccines are good for some or most people, others are “good for none.” Many social media posts responded to the posts by alleging that all vaccines are dangerous and that there is not enough evidence to support vaccine recommendations. Others emphasized the danger of not ensuring that the public is educated and aware of vaccines, highlighting the ongoing measles outbreak in a West Texas area with low immunization rates. 

In a February 13 interview, newly confirmed HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. alleged that existing vaccine safety monitoring systems like VAERS don’t work and claimed he would create a new system. He cites a 2010 report, which found that less than 1 percent of adverse reactions are reported to VAERS. One of the study’s authors explained that the statistic takes into account that most adverse reactions are so mild that they aren’t worth reporting. Responses to the post called VAERS a “sham,” repeated the myth that vaccines are not properly tested, and claimed that Kennedy is going to prove that vaccines are not safe.

Read the fact checks: 

• Physicians & Surgeons: Why Do Schools Require Immunizations? 
• CDC: About CDC’s Vaccine Safety Monitoring Program
• NFID: 10 Reasons to Get Vaccinated 

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What’s happening in the Northeast:

Social media users expressed their opposition to a New Hampshire House bill that would repeal the New Hampshire Vaccine Association, which works with insurance providers to ensure that all children in the state have access to free vaccines. The New Hampshire Public Health Association invited residents to participate in a public hearing, while a post in a forum for New Hampshire residents provided information about the bill and encouraged opponents to submit their testimony online.

What’s happening in the South:

The measles outbreak in West Texas continues to spread, with 58 infections as of February 18 as neighboring New Mexico reported eight cases. According to Texas health officials, 13 people have been hospitalized and four cases were in vaccinated people. Social media users linked the outbreak to low immunization and encouraged people to get vaccinated. Some users repeated the unfounded claim that immigrants caused the outbreaks, while others falsely claimed that vaccination doesn’t protect against measles and rejected all vaccines as “poison.” A few posts suggested that measles is not severe and discussed having “measles parties” to intentionally expose unvaccinated children to the disease to gain immunity. 

What’s happening in the Midwest:

The story of the parents of a child in Ohio who refuse COVID-19 vaccination that is required for their child’s heart transplant is receiving widespread attention online. Many social media users responded with outrage, arguing that vaccination status should not determine access to care. A state congressperson who co-sponsored a bill to ban medical discrimination based on vaccination status is using the case to drum up support for the legislation. However, many social media posts defended the guidelines as a standard and necessary practice to ensure that transplant recipients, who are extremely vulnerable to infections, have the best possible likelihood of survival and good health outcomes.  

What’s happening in the West:

After an Arizona senator advocated for vaccinating chickens against bird flu, a social media user accused him of trying to funnel money to “big pharma.” The post received over 140 responses, with most agreeing with the sentiment. Comments alleged that the senator was part of a vaccine “cartel” and claimed that bird flu isn’t real. One post suggested that vaccinating chickens is another way to “keep pushing that mRNA into the populous (sic).”

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Recommendations for public health professionals

Each week, the Infodemiology.com team will provide messaging recommendations in response to some of the trending narratives outlined above. These helpful tips can be used when creating content, updating web pages and FAQs, and to inform strategy for messaging about vaccines.

Much opposition to vaccine mandates is based on misleading and false claims about the safety, effectiveness, and importance of vaccines. Talking points may emphasize that vaccines have saved millions of lives and prevented countless debilitating conditions. Messaging may also explain that all public schools require vaccinations to protect communities against preventable outbreaks, but few schools mandate COVID-19 vaccines. School vaccine requirements are associated with higher immunization rates, reducing the risk of vaccine-preventable outbreaks.

Louisiana ending its promotion of vaccination may negatively impact local health agencies and non-government organizations that conduct vaccination campaigns. Messaging may emphasize the importance of vaccination to prevent the spread of preventable diseases and reduce their impact on individuals and communities. Messaging may also explain that everyone benefits from vaccination, including those who cannot be vaccinated and those who don’t fully respond to vaccines. 

False and misleading claims about the U.S. vaccine safety systems are widespread and may damage public trust in vaccines. Debunking messaging may explain that the U.S. has a robust, multi-level vaccine safety monitoring system that can detect even the rarest vaccine side effects. Talking points may emphasize that tens of millions of people are safely vaccinated each year, and serious adverse reactions are extremely rare.

Interested in recommendations tailored to health care providers? Click here.