The Danish American who doubted Covid shots is meant to lead drug regulation – but has focused on vaccines

As the US continues making unprecedented changes to its vaccination recommendations, one figure appears unexpectedly: Tracy Beth Høeg, a Danish American sports physician and epidemiologist who first made her name casting doubt on Covid vaccines in the pandemic and has focused upon possible deaths after Covid vaccination in her short tenure at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Health officials planned to announce radical changes to the childhood vaccine schedule earlier this month, aligning the US with Denmark’s immunization schedule, sources say – a major change that would put the US out of step with much of the world with no evidence for benefit. The announcement has been postponed until the new year.

Instead of Vinay Prasad, the top vaccines chief, Høeg is listed to speak at the event. She was recently named acting director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), the fifth person to lead the center this year.