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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD

@elizabethjacobs.bsky.social
71K followers 4K following 21K posts

Blue in Arizona, forged in the Burgh. 1elizabethtjacobs1@gmail.com @defendpublichealth.bsky.social www.defendpublichealth.org

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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 5m
A woman has just died of plague in Russia, allegedly after breaking a test tube in a lab. This article doesn’t specify, but others have said that it is pneumonic plague, which can spread between humans via droplet transmission. 200 people with whom she had contact are now under medical observation.
themoscowtimes.com
Nearly 200 People Under Observation After Irkutsk Lab Worker Dies From Plague - The Moscow Times
Health authorities in Siberia’s Irkutsk region have placed nearly 200 people under medical observation after a laboratory worker died from plague, according to media reports and a statement by a regio...
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 23h
I found this video after my husband stepped on the rattlesnake and there are 100 reasons to watch it, not least because this scientist made a fake leg and foot to see what rattlers do when people step on them. Spoiler alert: they rarely strike. youtu.be/s_GtpGyChlw
youtu.be
What happens if you step on a rattlesnake??
YouTube video by Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary
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Reposted by Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD
Prof Gavin Yamey MD MPH @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Read this thread & also the NYT story (which will, be warned, make you physically sick and very distressed indeed, so keep that in mind). The campus police DID NOT TELL THE PROSECUTOR all that Jane Doe said. The campus police *omitted* her most important statements about what those men did to her.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
My husband accidentally stepped on a rattlesnake last night and I had not previously realized he had a 10-foot vertical jump, nor that for one moment in time I could perform an Olympic-caliber sprint. No humans or dogs were bitten, but the rattling will live in my head forevermore.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
🎯
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
As more people die of measles, I’m reminded of this quote from RFK Jr. appointee Kirk Milhoan: “What we’re going to have is a real-world experience of when unvaccinated people get measles. What is the new incidence of hospitalization…of death?” They are running their experiment.
theguardian.com
US committee is reconsidering all vaccine recommendations
Move is dramatic departure for advisory group under Kirk Milhoan, who says he dislikes the term ‘established science’
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
A fifth measles death in Pennsylvania. Entirely preventable.
theguardian.com
Pennsylvania reports fifth measles-related death of the year amid outbreak
Measles outbreak in the state has now reached 39 counties, with 943 confirmed cases and 176 hospitalizations
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Eric Schmitt (R, MO) is rightly taking a lot of heat but I contend that Markwayne Mullin (R) accusing former CDC Director Dr. Susan Monarez of lying was equally bad if not worse. Mullin claimed he had an audio recording of Monarez’ meeting with RFK Jr. where he fired her. He was lying.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
“She had bought raw goat milk from a farm recommended to her in a Facebook group run by her chiropractor”. “Marris believed she had done her due diligence. She had researched raw milk…” Her baby ended up in the ICU with a life-threatening E. coli infection.
propublica.org
A Girl Nearly Died After Drinking Raw Milk. The State Did Little to Punish the Unlicensed Farmer Who Sold It.
California is teeming with black-market dairies, propped up by consumer demand fueled by misinformation. With evidence against one raw goat milk farm, regulators could have sought punitive action. But...
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Reposted by Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD
Jim Alwine @jimalwine.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Viruses entering the U.S. born by mosquito and other insect vectors is not being monitored. Warming of the country by climate change invites these vectors in. We already have west Nile everywhere and now Dengue. Soon Zika, Chikungunya and the return of yellow fever. And there are many more.
u.s.us
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I can’t recall who posted a week or two ago that RFK Jr. looks like “an entrail” but I want you to know I’ve had spontaneous bouts of laughter about this ever since. Please reveal yourself so I can thank you personally.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
New survey from the Annenberg Center is out. Less than a quarter of Americans (23%) have a favorable view of RFK Jr. Meanwhile 42% of us have a “very unfavorable” view of him, and many people (40%) are confused about whether he recommends the MMR vaccine. Horrifying stats for an HHS Secretary.
annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org
About 1 in 3 Americans Say RFK Jr. Recommends Measles Vaccine | The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania
1 in 3 U.S. adults say HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recommends vaccinating children against measles - as many as those who say he does not recommend it.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Three Florida counties have declared emergencies over Dengue Fever because the state is experiencing the most locally-transmitted cases since they began collecting the data 17 years ago.
cbs12.com
Florida counties declare local emergencies as dengue cases rise
Dengue fever is here in Florida, prompting several Florida counties to issue a state of emergency for the mosquito-borne disease.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
RFK Jr. alleges that he wants to focus on chronic disease and sideline infectious disease research, but the big dummy doesn’t care about the interplay between the two. A new study estimates that 12% of all cancer cases in 2024 were caused by infections, including H. pylori, HPV, HBV, and EBV.
thelancet.com
Global burden of cancer attributable to infections in 2024: a worldwide incidence analysis
Our findings highlight the importance of infection control to achieve cancer prevention. Scientifically proven, but often underused, approaches include HPV and HBV vaccination; testing and treatment o...
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Thinking more about this article, it occurs to me that the reason RFK Jr. wants to use health data from Medicare and Medicaid and not data from states to conduct his “research” is that states will be able to ascertain when he manipulates their data until he gets the outcome he wants.
theguardian.com
RFK Jr outlines expansive vision for collecting US health data at Maha event
Health secretary calls for medical and lifestyle details to be sent to doctors and AI to address ‘chronic disease epidemic’
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Doctors and researchers used to have free rein experiment on people living in poverty, notably Black Americans and women, without their consent. They rationalized that since they were getting “free” healthcare, they owed something to society. And now RFK Jr. is doing the same.
theguardian.com
RFK Jr outlines expansive vision for collecting US health data at Maha event
Health secretary calls for medical and lifestyle details to be sent to doctors and AI to address ‘chronic disease epidemic’
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The Regime despises people with disabilities and wants them to disappear. Their latest action is repealing requirements for federal contractors to hire those with disabilities at rates that are similar to those of the U.S. population overall. Oh, and now they’re hiding the data, too.
usatoday.com
Trump rolls back federal hiring rules. Are disabled workers at risk?
Trump just slashed federal disability hiring rules in new DEI crackdown. Advocates warn a decade of progress for disabled workers is now on the line.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
MAHA is like the Williams Sonoma catalog but with health. A bunch of dumb shit that nobody actually needs and only the wealthiest can afford.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
MAHA in a nutshell: If any of these tech millionaires actually gave a shit about making AMERICA healthy and not just themselves, they’d use some of their gold coins to feed children and increase access to healthcare instead of hoarding their gold like dragons. Yes, it is that simple.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
MAHA posterboy Bryan Johnson is a very odd individual who is spending millions every year to attempt immortality. He doesn’t give a shit about whether it helps anyone else. He takes omphaloskepsis to a level rarely observed in the history of humanity. So of course he must be on a MAHA panel.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I just had a second to tune into the MAHA shitshow. They have a bunch of techbros talking about longevity and how AI and tech will allow people to live longer. Of course they utterly ignore access to healthcare, income, and all other social determinants of health that actually dictate lifespan.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Incredible that medical facilities, which all claim that protecting patient privacy is one of their “core values”, are the only places where my personal information has been stolen repeatedly. We’re closing in on double digits at this point.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The 2026 MAHA Summit is today. Expect a flock of shitbirds serving up a wide selection of grift.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Raw milk strikes again. Thirteen people across nine states have become sick with E. coli after consuming Sierra Nevada Graziers’ product, with 8 of them having been hospitalized.
abcnews.com
E. coli outbreak linked to raw milk cheese brand: CDC, FDA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating a multistate outbreak of E. coli infections.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Yeah, this was an awful time. I had to get police involved three times for threats I received while promoting COVID19 vaccines in 2021. The worst was after I was quoted in the WSJ. Can’t even recall what I said, but it launched a bunch of protonmail missives from feral anti-public health nutters.
cidrap.umn.edu
Local, state public health officials overwhelmingly faced serious backlash during pandemic, report reveals
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This is an excellent article about what has been happening with federal funding for scientific research.
npr.org
These 6 charts show how NIH research funding has been reshaped under Trump
Stories of science funding being cut, labs shutting down and scientists losing jobs have flooded the media under Trump's administration. These six graphics show how those changes have affected U.S. biomedical research.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
RFK Jr. has a contract for a book entitled “Unsettled Science”. He likely means it in the sense of “not yet resolved or decided” (as he falsely claims about vaccines). I think the title works in the sense of “feeling nervous, upset, or worried; not comfortable” (with him in charge).
wsj.com
Exclusive | RFK Jr. Got Free Flights to Fiji and Greece From a Top Donor
The health secretary disclosed over $250,000 in gifts from security specialist Gavin de Becker.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
It just sucks eggs that thanks to RFK Jr., our hard-earned tax money is being used to study EMF and chemtrails. You wanna improve health? Then these funds should be used to improve access to healthcare for everyone in the United States.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
So many people who voted for Trump suddenly claim to be shocked at ICE actions. “We didn’t know” You didn’t want to know, shitbird.
elizabeth_jacobs • 7/18/24
Mass deportation means that more than 10 million of your neighbors will be hunted down, dragged from their homes at gunpoint, and violently separated from children, parents, siblings, friends. Just so we are clear about the unequivocal warning we received last night. It CAN happen here. It WILL happen here if we let it.lelizabeth_jacobs & 7/18/24
These actions will be performed by people who have been conditioned to view certain groups of humans as subhuman. They won't care if people get "a little roughed up" or if they die. We will very likely see concentration camps. This is what is meant by mass deportation. Seeing Americans wave their signs espousing this is vile and repellant.
They know what they are saying and they
LOVE IT.
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Reposted by Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD
Khashoggi's Ghost @urocklive1.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
What a nightmare being his attorney would be.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I think one of the core differences between Republicans and Democrats is: Republicans think that 99% of people are doing something fraudulent with Medicare, Medicaid, and SNAP. Democrats think that maybe 1% of people at most are doing something fraudulent, and that this is an acceptable cost.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
“Vice President JD Vance and administration officials are set to announce Tuesday that they are removing hundreds of thousands of people from Affordable Care Act coverage”. Yeah taking healthcare away from hundreds of thousands of people smells like MAHA all right.
washingtonpost.com
Trump officials plan to cut hundreds of thousands from ACA, claiming fraud
Vance targeted ACA enrollment as part of a broader administration crackdown on suspected fraud.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Athletes are among the most susceptible to snake oil in my experience. Tom Brady is a prime example in American football.
theguardian.com
‘It’s bordering on exploitation’: how pseudoscience is duping football
Cryotherapy chambers and other practices in the elite game have little evidence behind them, says Dr Claire-Marie Roberts, a top performance director
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
And so I say to every elected official: cancer doesn’t give a fuck who you vote for. Neither does heart disease or diabetes. The reason that we have made a great deal of progress on prevention and treatment is b/c scientists had the freedom to work on topics that are beneficial to ALL humans.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The person who thinks that he has the ability to decide which science to fund out of hundreds of subfields is exactly the person who should not make that decision. There is a reason that expert committees of scientists review and give recommendations for funding. No one person can know all of it.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Russell Vought cannot be given the power to decide what science is funded. He knows nothing about science; in fact, he seems to hate it and everyone who does it. And he has all of the worst characteristics of humanity. The Republican Congress is a fucking disease.
arstechnica.com
Russel Vought will reportedly be given veto power over all NIH grants
Pending move comes over the objections of the NIH director.
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Reposted by Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD
6000_feet_ASL @6000feetasl.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Just ‘cause it’s not in the national news anymore , don’t think they’ve magically disappeared. Screwworms are here, and spreading. Cattle, other livestock, pets and wildlife will feel the bite. And, regarding beef prices? Yeah. That will remain a problem. www.scdailypress.com/2026/09/18/m...
scdailypress.com
Mimbres quarantined after screwworm case - Silvercity Daily Press
A case of screwworm has been confirmed in a horse in Grant County, and the state is conducting surveillance around the location, according to a press release issued Friday afternoon by the New Mexico ...
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Republicans could end this at any time. They love it. Never forget. (This post is made of 100% recyclable material).
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Sorry, but all the way back on February 13th, 2025 we passed the point where 52 REPUBLICAN Senators had some explaining to do for confirming a known anti-science, anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist as HHS Secretary. Part of the reason is exactly this: a lot of the media pretended like it was NBD.
ms.now
Following RFK Jr.’s latest bizarre performance, 52 GOP senators have some explaining to do
Have we reached the point at which the nation’s health secretary is taking “chemtrails” nonsense seriously? Actually, yes.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The incredible Julie Scofield @juelzly.bsky.social from @defendpublichealth.bsky.social summarized Trump’s latest pick for Surgeon General perfectly, saying that Nicole Saphier is “exactly the wrong person”. Amazing how often that happens with the Regime.
scientificamerican.com
Trump’s surgeon general nominee praises MMR and hepatitis B vaccines at Senate hearing
Both the president and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., have made numerous false claims about the vaccines’ efficacy and safety
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
🎯
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The Nation is out with an article about Defend Public Health @defendpublichealth.bsky.social and why we continue to fight for the health of all of the people of the United States. @benecal.bsky.social, the leader of the Whopper of the Week, is quoted extensively here. 🔥
thenation.com
Trump Is a Runaway Train—and Nobody’s Pulling the Brakes
Everywhere you look, the president is causing chaos and destruction.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Two people visiting Cincinnati from out of state went to the ED at Children’s Hospital and spent 4 hours there. They were sick with measles. Those who were exposed have been notified. This is been happening repeatedly throughout the U.S. And is why vaccine choices affect everyone.
wlwt.com
Measles exposure reported at Cincinnati Children's Hospital emergency department
The Cincinnati Health Department said it was notified of a measles exposure at the Cincinnati Children’s Emergency Department.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
A rabid cow has been reported in Minnesota. Nine people who had contact with the cow must now be treated with post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which is incredibly expensive.
mprnews.org
Rabies confirmed in Brown County cow. MDH recommends shots for 9 people who were exposed
MDH recommended nine people obtain rabies post-exposure prophylaxis as they may have been exposed to saliva from the infected animal. The disease is extremely dangerous and life-threatening to both hu...
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Reposted by Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD
Jim Alwine @jimalwine.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
A science fiction book has been written about what happends by 2084 from the present political situation…and what the people in 2084 do about it. www.amazon.com/dp/B0DKYXVZZ...
amazon.com
DomainShifters
DomainShifters - Kindle edition by Brooks, J.C.. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading DomainShifters.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
One nice thing about right now is that what is happening in the US, assuming we survive it, will fuel enough science fiction, horror, war crime, and post- apocalyptic podcasts to last us through the turn of the next millennium.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
RFK Jr. is burnishing his relationship with Children’s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine group he started years ago, for very specific reasons. When and if sanity returns to HHS and all of his bullshit is undone, he is going to use it to feed and water the “They want to “hide” the truth” narrative.
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Vaccines for Children is a federal program that provides shots for kids who aren’t insured. RFK Jr.’s HHS has refused to ship new COVID19 vaccines for VFC because they ask if they’re “appropriate for the populations those programs serve”. These shots protect kids from hospitalization and death.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness and Safety for the 2026-2027 Respiratory Season - PubMed
COVID-19 vaccines were consistently associated with a reduction in the risk of hospitalization and other outcomes, including among individuals at high risk of severe COVID-19, such as infants, and those who were pregnant. No new safety concerns were identified.
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Reposted by Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD
kyleberkopes.bsky.social @kyleberkopes.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
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