This month’s data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) on COVID-19 vaccines shows injuries are still piling up despite a rapidly declining market for the shots—with deaths surpassing 37,000 cases.
VAERS is a voluntary reporting system co-managed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and CDC designed to detect vaccine safety signals, but it is estimated to represent only 1% of actual adverse events.
The latest VAERS data show 1,626,370 adverse events following COVID-19 vaccines were reported between Dec. 14, 2020, and Jan. 26, 2024. This includes 311,196 reports of serious injuries and 37,100 deaths.
Of the 37,100 reported deaths, 23,153 cases are attributed to Pfizer, 10,734 to Moderna, and 2,847 to Johnson & Johnson. Of the reported deaths, 8% occurred within 24 hours of vaccination, and 12% occurred within 48 hours.
Data for 6-month-olds to 5-year-olds
- 7,474 adverse events, including 314 cases rated as serious and 14 reported deaths.
- 5 reports of myocarditis and pericarditis.
- 37 reports of blood clotting disorders, which means the CDC throttled at least 12 reports of blood clotting over the previous week.
- 65 reports of seizures.
Data for 5- to 11-year-olds
- 18,494 adverse events, including 896 rated as serious and 33 reported deaths.
- 54 reports of myocarditis and pericarditis.
- 80 reports of blood clotting disorders.
- 207 reports of seizures.
Data for 12- to 17-year-olds
- 43,354 adverse events, including 4,823 rated as serious and 145 reported deaths.
- 285 reports of anaphylaxis among 12- to 17-year-olds where the reaction was life-threatening, required treatment, or resulted in death.
- 1,404 reports of myocarditis and pericarditis, with 1,229 cases attributed to Pfizer’s vaccine.
- 320 reports of blood clotting disorders, with 290 cases attributed to Pfizer.
- 55 cases of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), with 53 cases attributed to Pfizer’s vaccine. (The CDC has deleted several POTS reports, as this number was larger last month.)
Data for all age groups to VAERS
- 16% of deaths were related to cardiac disorders.
- 53% of those who died were male, and 41% were female. The remaining death reports do not list the gender of the deceased.
- The average age of death was 72.
- As of Jan. 26, 9,326 pregnant women reported adverse events related to COVID-19 vaccines, including 5,399 reports of miscarriage or premature birth.
- Of the 17,982 cases of Bell’s palsy have been reported.
- 3,533 reports of Guillain-Barré syndrome.
- 10,700 reports of anaphylaxis where the reaction was life-threatening, required treatment, or resulted in death.
- 9,030 reports of myocardial infarction and cardiac arrest.
- 49,570 reports of blood clotting disorders. Of those, 34,267 reports were attributed to Pfizer, and 11,268 reports were attributed to Moderna.
- 26,792 cases of myocarditis and pericarditis, with 20,425 cases attributed to Pfizer and 5,831 cases to Moderna.
The CDC uses a narrowed case definition of myocarditis. To meet the case definition of myocarditis, people must have had “symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath and feelings of having a fast-beating, fluttering or pounding heart, and medical tests to support the diagnosis of myocarditis and rule out other causes.” This allows the CDC to exclude cases of cardiac arrest, ischemic strokes, and deaths due to heart problems that occur before one has the chance to go to the hospital, obtain a diagnosis, or “dies suddenly.”
The CDC website does not state what happens to these cases, but there is no indication they are tracked or included in the CDC’s myocarditis numbers. - 88 cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, with 73 cases attributed to Pfizer, 15 to Moderna, and 2 to J&J.
- 1,007 cases of POTS, with 666 cases attributed to Pfizer.
Although healthcare providers are required by law to report vaccine adverse events to VAERS, research shows very few do. It is essential that anyone who experiences an adverse event report their own injury.
