Article gives US data on deaths after vaccinations incorrect

An article claims that the number of “vaccine-related deaths” in the United States in 2021 exceeds that of the past decade, as a national Covid-19 vaccination campaign accelerates. But the government’s reporting system cited in the piece makes it clear that the deaths were not definitively linked to immunization, and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention says the data usually cannot be used to determine whether a ‘vaccine’ is not a deadly cause.

“EXCLUSIVE: According to the CDC, there are almost twice as many vaccine-related deaths in 2021 (1,755) as all vaccines in the past decade (994),” reads the headline of The Gateway Pundit’s article. March 29, 2021.

The article was also shared here as a screenshot on Instagram, while the same claim appears in a post here.

The claim is part of a flood of inaccurate information about vaccines spreading online as countries try to immunize people against Covid-19.

The disease – which has killed more than 2.8 million worldwide – has resulted in a major vaccination campaign in the United States, with more than 153 million Covid-19 shots so far.

The figures quoted by The Gateway Pundit – which made other claims that were virtually checked by AFP – come from the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS).

But it is inaccurate to say that the deaths are definitely ‘vaccine related’.

A description of the program’s database states that it ‘contains information on unverified reports of adverse events (diseases, health problems and / or symptoms) after vaccination with US-licensed vaccination’, and reports from healthcare providers, vaccine manufacturers and generally accepted. public.

Although the description is quoted in the article, it is only done after it has been alleged that the deaths are related to vaccination in the heading and first paragraph.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which runs the VAERS program with the Food and Drug Administration, told AFP in an email that the system accepts’ all reports of adverse events after vaccination, regardless of whether the vaccine or not. caused the event. ”

“Because of these and other limitations, data in VAERS cannot normally be used to determine whether a vaccine caused the adverse event (including deaths),” the CDC said.

The article also says that “the two primary vaccine manufacturers who have the most deaths due to their vaccines are Moderna and Pfizer / Biontech” – manufacturers of Covid-19 shots.

But the CDC said there was a requirement for deaths due to Covid-19 vaccinations to be reported – something that does not exist for other vaccinations.

“These mortality reports are partly explained by the requirement for healthcare providers to report all deaths that occur after the vaccination of Covid-19 (required by the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA)), regardless of whether the healthcare provider believes the vaccine was the cause.” Said the CDC with reference to the authorization that allows the shots to be fired.

“This reporting requirement does not apply to other vaccines.”

The CDC says on its website that Covid-19 vaccines are ‘safe and effective’, and recommends that people get them.

“A review of available clinical information, including death certificates, autopsies, and medical records, showed no evidence that (Covid-19) vaccination contributed to the deaths of patients,” the website says.

AFP Fact Check has settled other inaccurate claims related to VAERS here.