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Data released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) included a total of almost 500,000 reports of injuries and deaths, across all age groups, following COVID vaccines — an increase of 27,761 compared with the previous week.
The data comes directly from reports submitted to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), the primary government-funded system for reporting adverse vaccine reactions in the U.S.
Every Friday, VAERS makes public all vaccine injury reports received as of a specified date, usually about a week prior to the release date. Reports submitted to VAERS require further investigation before a causal relationship can be confirmed.
Data released today show that between Dec. 14, 2020, and July 16, 2021, a total of 491,218 total adverse events were reported to VAERS, including 11,405 deaths — an increase of 414 over the previous week. There were 48,385 serious injuries reported during the same time period — up 7,767 compared with the previous week.
Excluding “foreign reports” filed in VAERS, there were 425,950 adverse events reported, including 5,467 deaths and 33,748 serious injuries, reported in the U.S.
In the U.S., 336.6 million COVID vaccine doses had been administered as of July 16. This includes 137 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine, 187 million doses of Pfizer, and 13 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID vaccine.
Of the 5,467 U.S. deaths reported as of July 16, 20% occurred within 48 hours of vaccination, 14% occurred within 24 hours and 34% occurred in people who became ill within 48 hours of being vaccinated.
This week’s U.S. data for 12- to 17-year-olds show:
- 14,494 total adverse events, including 871 rated as serious and 17 reported deaths. Two of the nine deaths were suicides.
- The most recent reported deaths to include a 13-year-old boy (VAERS I.D. 1463061) who died after receiving a Moderna vaccine, a 16-year-old boy (VAERS I.D. 1466009) who died after receiving his second dose of Pfizer, and a 16-year-old boy (VAERS I.D. 1475434) who died with an enlarged heart six days after receiving his first Pfizer dose.
Other reports include three 13-year-old boys (VAERS I.D. 1406840, 1431289, and 1429457) who died two days after receiving a Pfizer vaccine, three 15-year-olds (VAERS I.D. 1187918, 1382906, and 1242573), three 16-year-olds (VAERS I.D. 1420630, 1225942, and 1386841) and three 17-year-olds (VAERS I.D. 1199455, 1388042 and 1420762).
- 2,127 reports of anaphylaxis among 12- to 17-year-olds with 99% of cases
attributed to Pfizer’s vaccine. - 383 reports of myocarditis and pericarditis (heart inflammation) with 379 cases attributed to Pfizer’s vaccine.
- 68 reports of blood clotting disorders, with all cases attributed to Pfizer.
This week’s total U.S. VAERS data, from Dec. 14, 2020, to July 16, 2021, for all age groups combined show:
- 21% of deaths were related to cardiac disorders.
- 54% of those who died were male, 43% were female and the remaining death reports did not include the gender of the deceased.
- The average age of death was 73.4.
- As of July 16, 2,488 pregnant women reported adverse events related to COVID vaccines, including 850 reports of miscarriage or premature birth.
- Of the 2,428 cases of Bell’s Palsy reported, 50% were attributed to Pfizer vaccinations, 43% to Moderna, and 7% to J&J.
- 429 reports of Guillain-Barré Syndrome, with 41% of cases attributed to Pfizer, 36% to Moderna, and 22% to J&J.
- 117,379 reports of anaphylaxis with 44% of cases attributed to Pfizer’s vaccine, 48% to Moderna, and 8% to J&J.
- 7,633 reports of blood clotting disorders. Of those, 3,221 reports were attributed to Pfizer, 2,779 reports to Moderna, and 1,588 reports to J&J.
- 1,848 cases of myocarditis and pericarditis with 1,176 cases attributed to Pfizer, 606 cases to Moderna, and 62 cases to J&J’s COVID vaccine.
CDC ‘corrects’ number of reported deaths after COVID vaccines by dumping foreign reports
As The Defender reported July 22, a sudden increase in the number of deaths reported to VAERS following COVID vaccination is not correct and was the result of an “error,” according to the CDC.
The CDC said July 16 that since the mid-December rollout of COVID vaccines in the U.S., VAERS had received 12,313 reports of death among people who received a COVID vaccine — a sharp increase from the 6,079 U.S. deaths reported by the CDC the previous week.
Over the past few weeks, The Defender noticed thousands of “foreign reports” entered into VAERS, mostly associated with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. According to the CDC website, when searching VAERS, the “United States, Territories, and Unknown” group includes all of the location values, except for “Foreign” locations.
The “Foreign” group includes reports from any location other than U.S. states/territories included in the drop-down list. The “Unknown” group includes reports where a U.S. state is not identified.
We reached out to the CDC to ask why there were thousands of reports suddenly dumped into VAERS, why the CDC doesn’t publicize the total number of reported deaths — which includes foreign reports — and why there are foreign entities using the U.S. VAERS system. We did not hear back by the set deadline.
The CDC website states:
“VAERS occasionally receives case reports from U.S. manufacturers that were reported to their foreign subsidiaries. Under FDA regulations, if a manufacturer is notified of a foreign case report that describes an event that is both serious and unexpected (in other words, it does not appear in the product labeling), they are required to submit it to VAERS.”
The Defender will continue to post the latest VAERS numbers weekly but will differentiate between foreign reports and U.S. reports.
CDC advisory group urges vaccine booster for immune-compromised
On June 22, the CDC’s advisory panel — the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) — urged federal regulators to move quickly in determining whether people with weakened immune systems should receive a booster dose of COVID vaccine, NBC News reported.
The CDC appears to be looking into ways to work around the Emergency Use Authorizations (EUA), to provide additional vaccines for immunocompromised patients.
Doctors say it is increasingly clear many people with compromised immune systems fail to mount an effective immune response against COVID following vaccination.
Studies examining the safety and effectiveness of a booster dose in vulnerable populations are ongoing, and it is unknown whether the low levels of immunity to the vaccine in immune-compromised people can be addressed with an additional dose.
Dr. Sara Oliver, a medical epidemiologist at the CDC, pointed to emerging data that found among immunocompromised patients who had no detectable antibody response after full vaccination, only 33% to 50% developed antibodies to a third dose.
There are no plans for the ACIP to hold another meeting, although the panel is currently scheduled to meet in August.
The federal lawsuit seeks halt of COVID vaccines, citing whistleblower testimony
America’s Frontline Doctors (AFLDS) on July 19 filed a motion seeking immediate injunctive relief in Alabama Federal District Court to stop the use of EUA COVID vaccines — Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, and J&J — for three groups of Americans.
As The Defender reported July 20, according to a press release, AFLDS is asking to immediately stop administration of experimental COVID vaccines in anyone 18 and younger, all those who have recovered from COVID and acquired natural immunity, and every other American who has not received informed consent as defined by federal law.
The authors of the 67-page motion attached a declaration by a whistleblower who alleged deaths occurring within 72 hours of receiving a COVID vaccine are significantly under-reported in VAERS, by a conservative factor of at least five. In a sworn statement under penalty of perjury, the whistleblower alleged the actual number of COVID vaccine-related deaths is closer to 45,000.
AFLDS said the findings were shocking, and informed consent is impossible when safety data are not accurate.
COVID breakthrough cases continue to rise
Reports of COVID breakthrough cases continue to rise. As The Defender reported this week, as of July 12, the CDC had reported 5,492 breakthrough cases resulting in death and hospitalization.
According to data updated July 14 by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), 151 people in Illinois have died from COVID or COVID-related complications after being fully vaccinated. At least 563 fully vaccinated people were hospitalized, IDPH said.
In Massachusetts, public health officials tracked 4,450 breakthrough cases. About 92% of those cases did not result in hospitalization, while 303 people, or 6.8%, were hospitalized, according to Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) data through July 10.
Seventy-nine vaccinated residents in Massachusetts died from COVID, either without being hospitalized or following a hospital stay, DPH said.
Despite being fully vaccinated, more than 656 Alaskans tested positive for COVID between February and June, according to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.
Of the 656 breakthrough cases, 17 people were hospitalized and two people died with COVID, though health officials noted both had other “substantial comorbidities.”
137 days and counting, CDC ignores The Defender’s inquiries
According to the CDC website, “the CDC follows up on any report of death to request additional information and learn more about what occurred and to determine whether the death was a result of the vaccine or unrelated.”
On March 8, The Defender contacted the CDC with a written list of questions about reported deaths and injuries related to COVID vaccines. We have made repeated attempts, by phone and email, to obtain a response to our questions.
Despite multiple phone and email communications with several people at the CDC, and despite being told that our request was in the system and that someone would respond, we have not yet received answers to any of the questions we submitted. It has been 137 days since we sent our first email to the CDC requesting information.
Children’s Health Defense asks anyone who has experienced an adverse reaction, to any vaccine, to file a report following these three steps.