Image Credit: Xinhua News Agency / Contributor / Getty Images 
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will link the deaths of 25 American children to the COVID-19 vaccines, The Washington Post reports.
“Trumphealth officials plan to link coronavirus vaccines to the deaths of 25 children as they consider limiting which Americans should get theshots,” The Post reports, citing “four people familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity.”
The FDA’s findings are reported to be based on information submitted to the Federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), which contains reports of side effects or bad experiences related to vaccines. Reports can be submitted by anyone, including patients and doctors.
The children’s deaths will be included as part of a presentation to advisors at the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) next week. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will consider new recommendations for the COVID-19 vaccines, which may include limiting their availability.
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary confirmed on CNN last week that officials were reviewing evidence of children’s deaths as a result of the COVID-19 vaccines, including autopsy reports and interviews with family members. The review process could take months.
“FDA and CDC staff routinely analyze VAERS and other safety monitoring data, and those reviews are being shared publicly through the established ACIP process,” HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in an email.
“Any recommendations on updated COVID-19 vaccines will be based on gold standard science and deliberated transparently at ACIP next week.”
In August, the FDA approved the latest round of coronavirus vaccines, but only for persons aged 65 or older or who have risk factors for severe disease.
ACIP is considering recommending the vaccines to an even narrower group: persons over 75.
In May, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. directed health officials to stop recommending the COVID-19 vaccines for otherwise healthy children, and the CDC instructed parents to consult a doctor before their children receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
The American Academy of Pediatrics still recommends annual coronavirus vaccination for all children aged six to 23 months and for older children.
