Dr. Oz calls flu vaccine 'controversial of late'

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Hill

12/30/25 5:48 PM ET


Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, on Tuesday called the seasonal flu vaccine “controversial of late” and advised various Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiatives as ways to “overcome” the virus.

Appearing on Newsmax, Oz spoke on this year’s flu season, which has been marked by a more severe strain than previous years. “Flu is always a problem. Every year there’s a flu vaccine. It doesn’t always work very well. That’s why it’s been controversial of late,” Oz said. “But like many illnesses, the best news out there is if you can take care of yourself, so that when you do end up running into the flu, you can overwhelm it.”

While there are concerns that the current flu vaccine may not be a good match for the H3N2 subclade K virus, which is the predominant flu strain this year, experts say the shot should still offer significant protection from transmission and severe illness.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the flu vaccine for everyone 6 months and older, ideally by the end of October each year.

Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5667218-flu-shot-effectiveness-debate/

[liberalgunwilltravel]

1. It's past time

To start removing these incompetent fools by any and all means. They are literally killing Americans.

[Vinca]

2. There has always been a problem with the flu vaccine covering new strains that pop up, but that doesn't make

the vaccine worthless. The only thing worthless is Brainworm Boy, Huckster Oz and the rest of the loony tunes trying to kill us.

[jaymac]

3. It should be writ large

There may be problem w/ flu vaccines, but that does NOT make them worthless!!!

[BumRushDaShow]

5. And this is what made the mRNA versions (still in testing)

much more desirable since the production of that vaccine takes less time and can happen quickly (starting early summer), allowing extra months to determine the very latest circulating variant, and have ready for the fall, whereas the traditional vaccines are still mostly incubated in eggs, and thus a flu variant needs to be selected in early spring (April is often a drop-dead date) in order to start production. and be ready in the fall.

[Javaman]

4. who wants to take a bet that his asshole got his shot? nt

[Bayard]

10. I was just going to say that--great minds, etc.

Come to find out JFK jr. had his kids vaccinated.

[Nigrum Cattus]

6. Mehmet Cengiz Oz needs to go back to Turkey

and leave the U.S. alone

[SCantiGOP]

7. People die every year from open heart surgery

That doesn’t make it controversial.

[Rebl2]

8. It at

least offers some protection, or that’s what multiple doctors I have heard on npr and news shows say. No flu vaccine is perfect and never has been. If you do get the flu, it’s likely not to be so bad you need to be hospitalized, in most cases.
Oh by the way, dr. oz is a charlatan, snake oil salesman, etc. Thanks Oprah😐

[yardwork]

9. RFK, Jr. fired the flu experts who were developing this year's vaccine.

If this year's version isn't a good match to the flu strains going around it's because TrumpCo fired the people who knew how to develop it!!!!!

[Raftergirl]

11. Of course Oz got his flu shot, and I'm 100000% sure Orangeman did, too.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

12. MaddowBlog-Dr. Oz recklessly downplays the importance of getting flu shots

The more people get flu shots, the better off they’ll be. The CMS chief, a physician by trade, ought to understand this.

The more people get flu shots, the better off they’ll be. The CMS chief, a physician by trade, ought to understand this. www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/dr-oz-recklessly-downplays-the-importance-of-getting-flu-shots

— Ms. Kevin (@kkalmes31.bsky.social) 2026-01-02T20:18:19.578Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/dr-oz-recklessly-downplays-the-importance-of-getting-flu-shots

The Washington Post had a related report during Oz’s ill-fated GOP campaign for the Senate, adding that during his show’s 12-year run, Oz “provided a platform for potentially dangerous products and fringe viewpoints, aimed at millions of viewers, according to medical experts, public health organizations and federal health guidance.”

Years later, too little has changed. The Hill reported:

Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, on Tuesday called the seasonal flu vaccine ‘controversial of late’ and advised various Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiatives as ways to ‘overcome’ the virus.

Appearing on Newsmax, Oz spoke on this year’s flu season, which has been marked by a more severe strain than previous years.

In context, the Newsmax co-host asked about the growing number of Americans struggling with a dangerous flu strain. It led the CMS chief to stray far from his lane and start pontificating in irresponsible ways.

Dr. Oz on the "super flu": "Every year there's a flu vaccine. It doesn't always work very well. That's why it's been controversial of late. But like many illnesses, the best news out there is if you can take care of yourself so that when you do end up running into the flu, you can overwhelm it."

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-12-30T20:03:34.506Z

......Indeed, Dr. Jerome Adams, Trump’s first surgeon general, noted online earlier this week that this year’s vaccine will make flu viruses milder and make hospitalizations less likely, even if there’s a mismatch between the annual vaccine and the predominant strain.

“Even in mismatched years, flu vaccines provide cross-protection because the strains are related,” Adams wrote on X. “Historical data … show mismatched vaccines can still reduce lab-confirmed flu risk by around 50-60% overall and are particularly good at preventing severe outcomes like hospitalization and death.”

As for why Oz took an irresponsible message to a national television audience, I won’t pretend to be able to read his mind — though it’s worth emphasizing for context that he not only has a lengthy history of pushing dubious medical advice, he’s also part of a Republican administration with radical ideas related to public health, including flu shots.