The number of reported post-vaccination adverse events and deaths hasn’t changed federal officials’ view on the safety of the two authorized COVID-19 vaccines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Feb. 1.
After receiving one of the vaccines, 288 people have died, according to reports submitted to the passive Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. More than 3,000 patients have suffered adverse events after getting one of the vaccines.
“Based on the data received and reviewed so far, the adverse events reported are similar to those observed in clinical trials. Currently, there is no evidence to suggest a safety problem with these vaccines,” a CDC spokeswoman told The Epoch Times in an email.
“CDC is aware of reports of deaths occurring after administration of COVID-19 vaccines. These deaths are under investigation. From the data, it appears many of these deaths are among nursing home residents who had serious underlying conditions and death was not hastened by the vaccination.”
Pfizer has said it’s closely monitoring all reports following vaccination, while Moderna hasn’t responded to requests for comment on the issue.
Based on the estimated mortality in long-term care facility residents in the United States, Shimabukuro said to expect 11,440 deaths post-vaccination among the population.
Mortality in the residents “is high and substantial numbers of deaths in this population will occur following vaccination as temporally-associated coincidental events,” a slide in his presentation stated.
If a link between an adverse event or death to a vaccination were verified, the health officials would communicate the findings and consider if additional regulatory actions were warranted, such as product labeling, an administration spokesperson said.
The CDC spokesperson told The Epoch Times that all reports of deaths occurring post-COVID-19 vaccination are being probed.
“Reports of deaths occurring after administration of COVID-19 vaccines are under investigation. Establishing cause of death for a patient from any cause (including vaccines) is an involved and complex process that involves physician judgment. Typically, CDC defers to autopsy reports and death certificates as the definitive cause of death for any given patient,” she said.
“It’s important to remember that many adverse events, including death, following immunization are often coincidental—that means that while an adverse event may happen after getting vaccinated, the vaccine is not always the cause of it. When combined with other protective measures, vaccines are one of the best tools we have to fight the pandemic.”