FDA Acknowledges Child Deaths Linked to COVID Vaccines
In a significant development that has sent shockwaves through the medical community, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has identified at least 10 children who died following COVID-19 vaccination. The revelation came through an internal memo from Dr. Vinay Prasad, director of the agency's vaccine division, obtained by The New York Times.
Dr. Prasad stated in his Friday memo to FDA staff that a comprehensive review had confirmed these children died "after and because of" receiving COVID vaccines. The memo specifically pointed to potential connections with myocarditis, a serious inflammation of the heart muscle that has been recognized as a rare side effect of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.
Controversial Revelation Sparks Debate
Dr. Prasad, who recently returned to his position as the FDA's chief medical and scientific officer in September, described this finding as a "profound revelation." He emphasized that this marks the first official acknowledgment from the U.S. FDA that COVID-19 vaccines have caused fatalities among American children.
The internal document, which has not been publicly released, leaves several critical questions unanswered. It does not provide details about the children's ages, any underlying health conditions they might have had, the specific methodology used to establish the vaccine-death connection, or which vaccine manufacturers were involved.
Meanwhile, significant policy changes are underway under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has substantially altered U.S. COVID vaccine policy. The availability has been restricted to people aged 65 and older and those with underlying health conditions, representing a major shift from previous widespread vaccination campaigns.
Medical Community Divided Over Findings
The FDA memo has sparked intense debate among medical experts. Dr. Paul Offit, a renowned vaccine expert at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and critic of Kennedy's vaccine policies, described the memo as an example of science "by press release."
Dr. Offit raised concerns about the lack of crucial context in the memo, particularly the absence of data comparing death rates from COVID-19 infection itself among vaccinated versus unvaccinated children. He explained that while vaccine-related myocarditis cases at his hospital typically recovered quickly, myocarditis caused by the actual virus often required intensive care unit admissions and was significantly more severe.
The timing of the memo's release has also drawn criticism. Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, suggested the memo was deliberately released ahead of the CDC's vaccine committee meeting scheduled for next week, calling it an "irresponsible way to deal with a very critical public health issue."
It's important to note that the results of the FDA review have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, adding another layer of complexity to this developing story that has significant implications for global vaccination policies, including in India where COVID vaccination continues to be an important public health measure.
