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COVID-19

Trump Administration Plans to Link Covid-19 Vaccines to Deaths of 25 Children

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, has announced plans to link Covid-19 vaccines to the deaths of 25 children before a Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory panel meeting next week. This comes after Mr Trump raised doubts about the efficacy of Covid vaccines, citing the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) as the source of the administration's findings. Despite this, scientists have insisted that the vaccines have been extensively studied, including in children, and that the administration's claims are based on "gold standard science".

Key Takeaways:

  • The Trump administration is planning to link Covid-19 vaccines to the deaths of 25 children, citing the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) as the source of the administration's findings.
  • The CDC's advisory panel is responsible for determining which vaccines are recommended to the public and which are administered free of charge.
  • Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary and a vaccine sceptic, has reshaped the CDC since joining Mr Trump's cabinet, dismissing the agency's director and replacing the vaccine advisory committee with hand-picked allies.
  • The administration's finding that 25 children died after receiving the Covid jab is drawn from VAERS, a public database of self-reported side effects.
  • Scientists have responded, insisting that the vaccines have been extensively studied, including in children, and that the administration's claims are based on "gold standard science".
  • The CDC has narrowed its guidance on Covid vaccination, recommending it only for those over 65 and narrowing eligibility for younger adults to those with underlying medical conditions.
  • Funding for vaccine research has also been cut.
  • The CDC has acknowledged that FDA and CDC staff "routinely analyse VAERS and other safety monitoring data" and that any recommendations on updated Covid vaccines will be based on "gold standard science".

Marty Makary, the food and drug administration commissioner, said: "There have been children who have died from the Covid vaccine. We're doing a proper investigation."

He promised a full report in the coming weeks.

Statistics:

  • 25 children have died after receiving the Covid jab, according to the administration's findings.
  • 16 children old enough to have been vaccinated were not up to date on their vaccines, according to CDC staff.
  • The CDC reports that at least 25 children had died following Covid-associated hospitalisations since July 2023.
  • The World Health Organisation claimed the jabs had prevented 14.4 million deaths globally, but new research suggests the true number is closer to 2.5 million.
  • Funding for vaccine research has been cut.

Sources:

  • [Source 1] - Pool/KGC Photo Agency LLP
  • [Source 2] - Robert F Kennedy Jr, US health secretary
  • [Source 3] - Marty Makary, food and drug administration commissioner
  • [Source 4] - CDC staff presentation to the advisory group in June
  • [Source 5] - Research by Stanford University and Italian researchers published in July
  • [Source 6] - World Health Organisation

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