U.S. Food and Drug Administration acknowledges COVID-19 vaccine linked to deaths of at least 10 children, sparking policy shifts and controversy.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has, for the first time, acknowledged a link between the COVID-19 vaccine and the deaths of at least 10 American children due to myocarditis, according to Centre Director Prasad. This admission coincides with sweeping changes in vaccine policy under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., raising concerns within the medical community and prompting calls for transparency. The policy shifts signal a potential overhaul of U.S.vaccine strategy, impacting future progress, recommendations, and public trust.
Kennedy, a long-time vaccine skeptic and founder of the anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense, has already taken several significant actions, including drastically cutting funding for mRNA vaccine development and dismissing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine advisory committee. He has also directed the CDC to include claims linking autism to vaccines on its website, a move fiercely opposed by many medical professionals. These changes are occurring without the release of supporting data, leading to protests from the local medical community.
The FDA’s acknowledgement came as the agency signaled it would no longer approve “ineffective new products,” a statement interpreted by some as a broader rejection of current COVID-19 vaccine strategies. though,the claim that ”COVID-19 has never been fatal to children” – seemingly underpinning the policy shift – has been disputed by epidemiologists. Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota told NPR that this claim is factually incorrect, citing 1,597 child deaths due to COVID-19 between 2020 and 2022.
“We are asking people to beleive this important issue without providing any evidence,” stated the Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, emphasizing the need for data review by experts. The unfolding situation raises questions about the future of U.S. vaccination programs and the role of scientific evidence in public health policy.