FDA to present data it claims ties Covid shots to child deaths at CDC meeting

FDA officials plan to present data they claim links the Covid vaccine to 25 deaths in children at a CDC vaccine panel meeting next week, a source confirmed to NBC News.

Food and Drug Administration officials plan to present data they claim links the Covid vaccine to 25 deaths in children at what’s expected to be a closely watched vaccine advisory committee next week, a source confirmed to NBC News.

The Washington Post first reported the expected data.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, is scheduled to meet Thursday and Friday to review and make recommendations on several vaccines, including this fall’s updated Covid shots.

The FDA is basing its claim on an analysis of data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, or VAERS, a publicly available database maintained by the FDA and the CDC, according to three sources familiar with the plan.

But, two of the sources said, the agency is misusing the database which allows anyone — including doctors, patients and caregivers — to submit reports to VAERS about adverse events they believe are linked to vaccines. The reports are unverified, but the health agencies use the database as a guide for topics to investigate further.