RFK Jr. Petitioned FDA in May 2021 to Revoke Covid Vaccine Authorization, Despite Saving 140,000 Lives

Jan 17, 2025, 09:35 PM

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald J. Trump's choice to lead the nation's health agencies, petitioned the Food and Drug Administration in May 2021 to revoke the authorization of all Covid vaccines. This request came during a deadly phase of the pandemic when thousands of Americans were still dying weekly. Kennedy's petition, filed on behalf of the nonprofit Children’s Health Defense, argued that the risks of the vaccines outweighed the benefits and claimed that effective treatments like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine were available, despite these treatments having been deemed ineffective against Covid-19. At the time of the petition, the Covid vaccines were in high demand and considered life-saving, having already saved an estimated 140,000 lives in the United States. The FDA denied the petition within months of its filing.