In the 12–0 vote, the committee of advisors selected by anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. adopted a recommendation for adults 65 and older and people aged 6 months to 64 years to get a COVID-19 vaccine based on shared clinical decision-making. After this story was published, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adopted the recommendation, which will broadly maintain requirements that federal and private health insurance plans cover COVID-19 vaccines at no cost.

But the panel today also heard from outside sources who presented unvetted evidence and associations, suggesting COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer and nefariously linger in the body. The members themselves brought their own conspiracy theories and bunkum to the table.