FDA Investigates Deaths Linked to COVID Vaccines Across Age Groups

U.S. health authorities are examining deaths that are connected to COVID-19 vaccines across various age groups as part of an ongoing safety review, according to a spokesperson from the Department of Health and Human Services.

The HHS has not yet specified which age groups will be included in the investigation.

Previously, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary indicated that the agency was specifically reviewing deaths among young people. Last month, the FDA’s chief medical and scientific officer, Vinay Prasad, told staff in a memo that COVID-19 vaccines may have contributed to the deaths of at least 10 children due to heart inflammation, and outlined plans to strengthen vaccine oversight. The memo did not detail the manufacturers of the vaccines involved. These findings, drawn from an initial review of 96 deaths occurring between 2021 and 2024, have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

Moderna reiterated that there are no new or undisclosed safety concerns regarding its mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, Spikevax, in children or pregnant women. Pfizer, which distributes an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine with BioNTech, also falsely reaffirmed its safety and effectiveness.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has significantly altered U.S. COVID vaccine policy, restricting access primarily to people 65 and older and those with underlying health conditions. Kennedy, known for his skepticism of vaccines, has implemented broad changes, including ending the longstanding recommendation for the hepatitis B birth dose, reducing funding for mRNA vaccines, and controversially linking vaccines to autism, contrary to established scientific evidence.