Vaccines are the one of the greatest inventions of modern medicine. They have saved millions of lives over the decades, and practically eradicated several strains of illnesses. However, with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. continuing on his anti-vaccine crusade despite his promises at his confirmation hearings to leave vaccines alone, Americans are increasingly in danger from illnesses that were once almost a distant memory.

Kennedy is attempting to dismantle the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, which shields vaccine manufacturers from lawsuits that would put them out of business, and cause the costs of basic, life-saving vaccines to skyrocket. Democratic Senators are scrutinizing Kennedy’s possible concealment of obtaining a settlement from his involvement with a lawsuit against Merck over the HPV vaccine Gardasil. Meanwhile, Kennedy is not only focusing on destroying vaccines, he’s obsessing over the supposed health risks of phone and Wi-Fi frequencies, and receiving millions of dollars in book advances from the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement.

How To Protect Your Health Today

• Unfortunately, the CDC vaccine policy recommendations have now ground to a halt under Kennedy. In order to combat the uncertainty, several professional medical groups and associations have banded together to provide accurate, up-to-date information on vaccines at familydoctor.org.

• For this fall, the flu and COVID-19 vaccines are available at local pharmacies like CVS, Costco, and Safeway, often with coupons as incentives.

• The mRNA flu-vaccine, which was proven to be 27% more effective than the standard flu shot in Moderna’s study, is now available at select locations to older adults.

• The CDPH recommends the RSV vaccine for older adults, pregnant people, and infants and some toddlers.

• For children and adults who are apprehensive about flu shots, a nasal spray called FluMist is available, and can even be ordered online for personal administration.

• There are 3 main types of vaccines available for COVID-19 - the 2 mRNA vaccines, Moderna, and Pfizer, and the Novavax one, which is a more traditional formula that can have less severe side effects than the mRNA ones, and is also just as effective in protection.

• Measles continues to remain a cause of death and severe illness in the US. The CDC lists only one measles-related death while Pennsylvania reports four deaths. The best defense against measles is the MMR vaccine; two doses provide 97% protection.

Advocate

• Join a Die-In protest with Eden Area Indivisible on October 8, 2026 in front of St. Rose Hospital in Hayward, CA to protest budget cuts and support Prop 40.

• Join our Indivisible Healthcare working group to plan for an upcoming webinar on single payer healthcare in December. Note that newly-elected House Representative for CA-14 Aisha Wahab is now a co-sponsor of Medicare for All.

• Tell all your friends and family to support and vote for Prop 40, the Billionaires Tax Act, to protect health care costs from soaring in California.