New CDC chief was part of meetings where officials pressed ousted leader on vaccines

In the weeks before they moved to oust Dr. Susan Monarez as head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, top US Department of Health and Human Services officials repeatedly pressed her in meetings to commit to signing off on potential new vaccine restrictions, two people familiar with the matter said.

Among those present: Jim O’Neill, the No. 2 HHS official, who has since become the CDC’s new acting chief, the people said.

It was not immediately clear what role O’Neill played in the meetings or whether he directly sought to convince Monarez to pledge her support for recommendations that might limit access to proven vaccines, two people familiar with the matter told CNN.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , and his deputy chief of staff, Stefanie Spear, led the internal