Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to overhaul a key committee on vaccine policy has left the country’s vaccine infrastructure “critically weakened,” former members of the group said in a piece published in JAMA on Monday.

Kennedy, Jr. announced eight new members, including a physician criticized for spreading COVID-19 misinformation and conspiracy theories. Vaccine experts warned Kennedy's abrupt termination of the entire committee on June 9 would create public distrust around the government's role in promoting public health.

A Seattle infectious disease doctor, whose work was pivotal early in the COVID pandemic, shares more on her experience with the country's top vaccine advisory group.