False: Children have died and are dying due to COVID-19 vaccines.

By: Devika Kandelwal
September 16 2021

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There is no evidence that children are dying due to COVID-19 vaccines. Data presented to support this claim has not been verified.The Daily Expose, a medical misinformation platform, published an article on September 14 titled, "13 reasons why you should not allow your child to get the COVID-19 Vaccine." The 11th reason stated is, "Children have died and are dying due to the COVID-19 Vaccines." To support this claim, the article cites data from a website called OpenVAERS. However, the author alleges that the data is from the official U.S. VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) website, which it is not. As we have reported before, OpenVAERS is a "website dedicated to the misrepresentation of COVID-19 vaccine data." The site repackages and presents raw, unassessed data collected on VAERS and publishes it in a way that has likely made a significant contribution to vaccine hesitancy. The website publishes unverified data and statistics on how many people have allegedly died or suffered injuries after getting their COVID-19 vaccine. VAERS was created in 1988 and is co-managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The system was created “to detect possible safety problems in U.S.-licensed vaccines,” according to its website. Anyone can report an adverse event to VAERS. Healthcare professionals are obliged to report certain adverse events, and vaccine manufacturers must report all adverse events that come to their attention. However, it is essential to remember that “VAERS is not designed to determine if a vaccine caused a health problem.” VAERS accumulates this raw data and makes it available for anyone to download. Since the data is raw and has not been assessed, the VAERS website categorically states, “The reports may contain information that is incomplete, inaccurate, coincidental, or unverifiable. In large part, reports to VAERS are voluntary, which means they are subject to biases. This creates specific limitations on how the data can be used scientifically. Data from VAERS reports should always be interpreted with these limitations in mind.” However, conspiracy websites such as the Daily Expose and OpenVAERS use this raw information to stoke fear and spread vaccine hesitancy. There is no evidence that children have died due to COVID-19 vaccines, and correlation does not mean causation. Until a link between the vaccine and death has not been proven, we can assume that vaccines are causing death. According to USA Today, VAERS received 4,178 reported deaths among those who received a COVID-19 vaccine between December 14, 2020, and May 3. However, after reviewing medical records, autopsies, and death certificates related to reports, the CDC noted that it "has not established a causal link to COVID-19 vaccines." The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19, including symptoms, prevention, and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organization or your national healthcare authority.