VAERS

Always slipping from my hands
Sand's a time of its own
Take your seaside arms and write the next line
Oh, I want the truth to be known
--Spandau Ballet

The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) collects information about possible side effects of vaccines following their administration. VAERS is a passive reporting system, relying on both patients and health care providers to file reports of their experiences. Health care providers are legally required to report adverse events that fall within specified parameters. In addition, vaccine producers are required to report all adverse effects that come to their attention.

Its design exposes VAERS data to inaccuracies. Vaccine side effects might be under-reported if experiences are not submitted. On the other hand, problems could be over-reported if the system if abused. To reduce potential for error, VAERS screens submitted reports before accepting them. Moreover, knowingly filing a false report is a violation of federal law punishable by fine and imprisonment.

Despite its warts, the VAERS system has nonetheless been institutionalized as a mechanism for warning about vaccine efficacy and safety problems. Given concerns about the technological foundations of CV19 vaccines, it should come as no surprise that VAERS data have been the subject of scrutiny.

Current VAERS data indeed suggest significant side effect profiles of CV19 vaccines. Nearly 800,000 adverse effect reports have been recorded. Included in those side effects are nearly 17,000 vaccine-related deaths. Other adverse events related to the vaccines, including hospitalizations, allergic reactions, miscarriages, heart attacks, and paralysis number in the hundreds of thousands. 

While the accuracy of VAERS reports can be questioned due to the information collection limitations, what can't be disputed is that adverse event counts since the advent of CV19 vaccines are many orders of magnitude higher than those obtained from prior reports.

Just as curious has been the response, or lack of response, to recent VAERS data by the media and by medical and public health professionals. We'll discuss this more soon.