Friday, April 24, 2026-U.S. health officials have blocked the publication of a federal study examining how effective COVID-19 vaccines are at preventing hospitalizations and emergency room visits, according to government and media reports.
The decision was confirmed by a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, who cited disagreements over the study’s methodology.
The research was intended for release in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, one of the agency’s key scientific publications.
The study reportedly used a widely accepted approach that compares vaccinated and unvaccinated patients in hospital and emergency settings to estimate how well vaccines prevent severe illness.
Officials argued that the method may not fully account for factors such as prior infection history or differences in health-seeking behavior, raising concerns about the accuracy of the findings.
However, critics of the decision say the same methodology has been used in peer-reviewed research and previous public health studies, and they warn that blocking publication could undermine transparency in public health reporting.
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