The Vaccine Intelligence Report: September 10-15

The Vaccine Intelligence Report

September 10-15, 2026

The Vaccine Intelligence Report—brought to you by Vaccinate Your Family—provides clear, fact-based updates on vaccine policy, research, and public health each week. This report is part of Viral Truths, a resource designed to cut through the noise, offering concise information to help navigate the evolving immunization landscape.

THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE

  • An Army physician who has previously questioned Covid vaccine safety is reviewing military health data and VAERS reports for potential vaccine-related adverse events as part of an advisory role to Kennedy, though the reports themselves do not establish causation
  • Illinois, Maryland, and New York issued or endorsed independent respiratory-season vaccine guidance, reflecting a growing state role in shaping immunization policy as federal recommendations continue to evolve
  • A new report found that states considered nearly 400 vaccine-related bills over the past year, including a growing number aimed at reducing reliance on federal vaccine recommendations and giving greater authority to state officials and medical organizations
  • The U.S. has reported nearly 3,400 measles cases this year, including two additional measles-associated deaths in Pennsylvania as the state’s outbreak approaches 700 cases
  • Covid activity is elevated and increasing nationally, while seasonal flu activity remains low as the respiratory virus season begins

NEED TO KNOW

Army Physician Assigned to Review Military Covid Vaccine Safety Reports

  • An Army physician who has previously raised concerns about Covid vaccine safety is reviewing reports of potential adverse events among U.S. service members as part of an advisory role to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
  • Col. Theresa Long disclosed in an August deposition that she had been detailed to serve as a senior medical military adviser to Kennedy and is reviewing military health data and reports submitted to the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).
    • According to Long, the review includes approximately 55,000 adverse-event reports and 2,544 reports of deaths following Covid vaccination among service members.
    • Importantly, these reports are unverified. VAERS is an early-warning surveillance system that accepts reports of health problems occurring after vaccination; a report alone does not establish that a vaccine caused the event.
    • See this week’s Reality Check for more on VAERS.
  • The review does not appear to follow the identification of a new Covid vaccine safety signal. Pentagon analyses released in July 2025 and March 2026 examined adverse events following Covid vaccination among active-duty service members and found that most conditions studied were more strongly associated with Covid infection, while vaccination was associated with a lower risk of several conditions.
  • Long has publicly questioned Covid vaccine safety for several years and has previously argued that vaccination contributed to deaths and other health problems among service members. She has also criticized the Pentagon’s previous analyses and said her current assignment includes examining what she described as inaccuracies in military health databases.
  • The development is part of a broader Administration effort to revisit vaccine safety and injury questions. Kennedy and allied officials have sought expanded reviews of reported vaccine injuries and changes to how potential adverse events are tracked and evaluated, including areas where scientific evidence has not identified new safety concerns.
  • Additional investigation of potential adverse events can help identify rare risks and support vaccine safety monitoring. However, experts emphasize that determining whether an event was caused by vaccination requires analysis beyond individual VAERS reports, including comparison with expected background rates and other epidemiological evidence.

STATE POLICY

States Diverge on Vaccine Guidance and Immunization Requirements

  • Illinois, Maryland, and New York have issued or endorsed state-level immunization guidance for the 2026-2027 respiratory virus season, relying on state experts and medical organizations as federal vaccine policy continues to evolve.
    • Illinois issued respiratory-season recommendations through its Immunization Advisory Committee and a standing order intended to improve Covid vaccine access.
    • Maryland released statewide recommendations under its new Vax Act covering Covid, influenza (flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and routine immunization.
    • New York and New York City endorsed updated respiratory virus recommendations developed by leading medical organizations.
  • Florida, meanwhile, has proposed eliminating several school immunization requirements and broadening its religious exemption form to include “sincerely held moral or ethical” beliefs. The Florida Chapter of the American College of Physicians (ACP) has requested a formal hearing on the proposal, citing public health concerns.

New Report Highlights Growing State Divergence on Vaccine Policy

  • A new Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) report found that states considered 374 vaccine-related bills with legislative movement between August 2025 and July 2026, 49 of which became law.
  • Immunization requirements and exemptions remained the most common area of activity, with 84 bills seeking to reduce requirements or expand exemptions, compared with 18 seeking to strengthen requirements or narrow exemptions.
  • The report also found a sharp increase in legislation responding to federal vaccine policy changes. Thirty-six bills sought to reduce states’ reliance on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), with several states instead giving greater weight to state health officials and medical organizations when setting vaccine policy.
    • Fourteen bills responding to federal policy changes became law, underscoring a broader shift toward greater state-level control over immunization guidance and access.

OUTBREAK OUTLOOK

Weekly snapshot of measles and respiratory virus activity in the U.S.

Measles: 3,387 cases have been reported nationally in 2026, including an increase of 389 cases over the past two weeks (Sep. 11).

Covid: Infections are growing or likely growing in 35 states (Sep. 9). National Covid activity is elevated and increasing (Sep. 11), although overall acute respiratory illness remains very low.

Flu: Seasonal flu activity remains low nationally (Sep. 11), with little activity expected this early in the respiratory virus season.

REALITY CHECK

CLAIM: Reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) prove that Covid vaccines caused deaths.

  • REALITY: A report to VAERS shows only that a health event occurred after vaccination—not that vaccination caused it. VAERS is an early warning system designed to collect reports of health events after vaccination so experts can look for possible safety signals that may need further review.
  • Reports to VAERS, including deaths, are carefully considered and may prompt investigation, but the existence of a report does not mean the vaccine caused the event.
    • When millions of people are vaccinated, some illnesses and deaths will occur afterward by coincidence, including from underlying disease, accidents, and other causes that would have occurred regardless of vaccination.
    • Determining whether a vaccine contributed to a death requires case-by-case review of medical records, death certificates, laboratory results, autopsy findings, timing, underlying conditions, and other possible causes.
  • VAERS is intentionally broad, which makes it useful for detecting potential safety signals but inappropriate for drawing conclusions from raw report counts alone.
    • Reports can be submitted by patients, family members, health care providers, vaccine manufacturers, and others.
    • Individuals are encouraged to report serious adverse events, including deaths, after vaccination whether or not it is clear that a vaccine caused the event.
  • The CDC explicitly states that VAERS data alone cannot be used to determine whether a vaccine caused or contributed to an adverse event, and report counts cannot be interpreted by themselves as evidence of a causal association, frequency, or severity of risk.
  • When VAERS detects a possible signal, researchers then compare it with other safety networks and clinical records to confirm whether vaccinated individuals face a truly elevated risk.
    • This process has identified some genuine but rare and specific risks associated with Covid vaccination. Myocarditis and pericarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle and tissue) are known rare risks, primarily among adolescent and young adult males.
    • Notably, subsequent safety monitoring has not found an association between myocarditis and the updated Covid vaccines used in recent years, including the 2022–2023, 2023–2024, and 2024–2025 formulations.
  • VAERS is most useful when it prompts careful follow-up—not when reports are treated as confirmed outcomes. A death reported after vaccination should be reviewed seriously, but the report itself does not establish that vaccination caused the death.

WHAT TO WATCH

Public Comment Period for Federal Vaccine Recommendations Set to Close September 20

  • Public comments responding to HHS’s request for information (RFI) on proposed changes to the federal vaccine recommendation framework are due by September 20.
  • The RFI asks whether the current categories—routine, risk-based, and shared clinical decision-making (SCDM)—should be revised or expanded, seeks feedback on vaccine timing and sequencing, and asks how SCDM should be defined and used.
  • While the RFI does not directly propose any specific changes, alterations to recommendation categories could have broad implications for vaccine access and coverage.

HHS Leadership Confirmation Hearings Set for This Week as FDA Nominee Awaits Hearing Date

  • Trump’s nominees to serve as Deputy Secretary of HHS, Chris Klomp, and Surgeon General, Dr. Nicole Saphier, are scheduled to appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee in a hearing today (Sep. 16).
    • Klomp, who is set to become Secretary Kennedy’s second-in-command if confirmed, also appeared before the Senate Finance Committee yesterday (Sep. 15), where he expressed support for the MMR vaccine and its safety.
    • If advanced by the HELP Committee, Klomp and Saphier will face confirmation votes in the full Senate.
  • Separately, the confirmation hearing for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner nominee Dr. Heidi Overton has yet to be scheduled.
    • Overton’s nomination has already received scrutiny from members of the HELP Committee because of her role in advancing the recent Executive Order calling for changes to the childhood immunization schedule. She is expected to appear before the committee sometime this fall.

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Vaccinate Your Family is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to protecting people of all ages from vaccine-preventable diseases. To learn more visit us at: vaccinateyourfamily.org

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