Understanding COVID-19 vaccine side effect data

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - Vaccine side effects are an area of concern for anyone, but the issue has become even more prevalent since the release of the COVID-19 vaccine. Experts say data surrounding the vaccine can sometimes be misleading, especially when it comes to deaths and the vaccine.

The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, known as VAERS, is a federal reporting system monitored by the Centers for Disease Control to track side effects of all vaccines – including the COVID-19 shot. Experts say it’s important to understand how the system works, in order to properly interpret that data.

The CDC says reports of death after COVID-19 vaccination are rare. From mid-December 2020 to late September 2021, VAERS received more than 8,100 reports of death among people who received the COVID-19 vaccine. However, this doesn’t mean the vaccine caused those deaths.

“A 65-year-old man, for example, with heart disease and high blood pressure receives the vaccine on a Monday, and two weeks later, he has a heart attack. Now, that individual should have that event reported to VAERS, because it’s a serious event occurring after vaccination,” said Kylie Hall, operations director for the Center for Immunization Research and Education at NDSU.

Researchers will then look for trends in these reports and investigate serious claims.

“VAERS is more of a hypothesis generating system, than one that can determine cause and effect,” said Hall.

Anyone can report data to VAERS, including patients themselves. Hall says the vaccine remains safe and effective.

“Since we’ve been giving the COVID-19 vaccines, the expected number of deaths has significantly decreased since the height of the pandemic, which means the vaccines are working and not causing an excess number of deaths,” said Hall.

Hall says VAERS data was working in real time earlier this year, when reports of blood clots with the Johnson and Johnson vaccine surfaced.

If you’re interested in reporting any adverse vaccine effects, go to https://vaers.hhs.gov/index.html.

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