A small study on Covid vaccine safety sparks an online tempest Response to preliminary research highlights conundrum faced by scientists

https://www.statnews.com/2025/02/24/post-vaccine-syndrome-yale-study-covid-vaccinations-rare-complication-fuels-critics/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-95T1d457dwminFPAqtQV6Rtg6zA5xZf6CT5JuDdpvRraYcX0R5rwoe_qg_gHnrWKMWiSBagC0twQmPdhBeGxmEoIjECg&_hsmi=348565801&utm_content=348565801&utm_source=hs_email A parable on the weaponization of science You may have seen that a group of researchers released a small, preliminary study last week theorizing that Covid-19 vaccines may be linked in rare cases to a constellation of lingering symptoms not dissimilar to long Covid-like illness. The paper was posted to medRxiv, a preprint server, midway through Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s first week at the helm of HHS, when there were already signs that policies promoting vaccines would come under attack. The research exploded online, and as STAT’s Helen Branswell writes, became a parable for the ways in which the internet is being used to weaponize basic vaccine research vital to advancing scientific knowledge about the safe use of these key products. Read more from Helen on the dilemmas faced by scientists seeking to advance the field. https://www.statnews.com/2025/02/20/cdc-vaccine-promotions-rfk-jr-informed-consent/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9q7k48Of-6xEyedSkBOxsUdw14chgDoG6-HsrYlBOxvLoKyGwp6TxN_ZawYvWWI4vOlVKMbpy599HOL_zXskAGk-Z-rA&_hsmi=348565801&utm_content=348565801&utm_source=hs_email