An advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention drew criticism after it postponed a discussion on heart inflammation among a small fraction of COVID-19 vaccine recipients in observance of the Juneteenth National Independence Day holiday.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) initially scheduled meeting on Friday, June 18 will now be held on June 23.
“I think we’re getting a glimpse into the lack of urgency that we’ve seen at the CDC for a lot of the pandemic,” said Dr. Marty Makary, Johns Hopkins health policy expert and Fox News contributor. “This is what frustrates doctors about the bureaucratic state. Doctors have a duty to serve.”
Makary took to Twitter, voicing support of the new federal holiday but adding, in part, “doctors dealing with emergencies do not skip work for holidays.”
Dr. Nicole Saphier, board-certified radiologist and Fox News contributor, wrote a similar tweet: “MDs, RNs & other frontliners work on holidays just fine. This meeting is about safety in our kids. Why the delay? Get to work.”