Amid low morale fostered by "bad science," frustrated and alarmed experts with the NIH, CDC and FDA are quitting, creating serious staffing shortages, reports Johns Hopkins University professor Dr. Marty Makary.

Leadership of the agencies is being questioned, with the authorization, for example, of COVID-19 vaccines for children 4 years old and younger. Pfizer's trial data found no statistically significant evidence that the shots provide benefit for young children. Meanwhile, members of FDA vaccine panels have expressed concern about the lack of safety data for children.

Makary, writing on the Substack page Common Sense, says that other decisions by the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and Drug Administration that have hurt morale among employees include support for masking in schools and the closing of schools during the pandemic.

"It's like a horror movie I'm being forced to watch and I can't close my eyes," a senior FDA official told Common Sense. "People are getting bad advice and we can't say anything."

An NIH scientist who spoke on condition of anonymity said there is "no leadership right now."

"Suddenly, there's an enormous number of jobs opening up at the highest level positions," the scientist said.