15 2021 — Swiss Policy Research

USA: Reported post-vaccination deaths, 1990 to 2021 (OpenVAERS)

The latest on covid vaccine adverse events.

Please note: SPR only covers vaccine-related issues that are of global importance.

A) Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS)

On June 9, SPR highlighted increased rates of post-vaccination Guillain-Barré syndrome (an auto-immune neurological disease causing paralysis). Just one day later, the German Paul Ehrlich Institute, which monitors vaccine safety, confirmed that GBS occurred “at an increased rate” and might constitute a “new risk signal” (after AstraZeneca, in particular). US authorities have not yet responded, but SPR estimates that there are already several hundred cases of post-vaccination GBS in the United States alone.

B) Pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers

US authorities have argued that covid vaccines “appear to be completely safe for pregnant women” (NIH) and “are thought not to be a risk to lactating people or their breastfeeding babies” (CDC). But these assessments may be questionable: The US VAERS system counts already 650 post-vaccination miscarriages, and it has been known since March that covid mRNA vaccines, or the coronavirus spike protein they produce, may get into breast milk and enter, sicken and kill the baby (18+).

C) Heart muscle inflammation and heart attacks

Back in March, SPR first covered a “murky wave of heart attacks” and an increase in post-vaccination all-cause mortality in Israel. In early June, Israel confirmed that mRNA vaccines may cause heart inflammation and heart attacks, especially in young people (in whom it is more unusual and harder to ignore, at any rate). On June 11, the US CDC announced an “emergency meeting” to discuss post-vaccination heart inflammation in young people (young males, in particular).

Post-vaccination myocarditis may also affect athletes and may lead to sudden cardiac arrest. Most recently, it has been speculated if the cardiac arrest of Danish soccer player Christian Eriksen (18+) was due to vaccination (i.e. if he recently got vaccinated). A club manager of Inter Milan has denied this, but there is still no confirmation by Eriksen or his physicians.

D) Blood clots

Blood clots, cerebral venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism continue to be major vaccine adverse events, especially after adenovector covid vaccines (AstraZeneca, Johnson&Johnson). Several countries have already stopped the use of adenovector vaccines altogether or in non-senior citizens. Most recently, Italy took this decision, too, after several young women, and possibly even a 12 year old tennis prodigy, died.

Regarding children, some countries have granted an “emergency use authorization” for the use of covid vaccines in children 12+ (e.g. Italy and the United States), while some other countries have advised against the vaccination of children (e.g. Germany and the UK), typically over safety concerns.

Life-threatening blood clots may also affect athletes, such as, most recently, a US elite runner and a professional basketball player playing in the German basketball league. Two BBC moderators have also died due to post-vaccination blood clots.

E) Vaccine effectiveness

Despite the very serious vaccine adverse events described above, it should be noted that experimental covid vaccines continue to be very effective against severe covid and have already saved tens or even hundreds of thousands of lives.

The chart below shows hospitalizations by age group in Germany during the winter and spring waves. In age group 35 to 59 (purple), hospitalizations during the spring wave reached the levels of the winter wave, whereas in age groups 60 to 79 (blue) and especially 80+ (orange), who were first to get vaccinated, hospitalizations remained at a significantly lower level.

Another aspect to keep in mind is the risk of post covid syndrome, which may affect even young and previously healthy people (including athletes) and drastically reduce their quality of life.

Germany: Hospitalization rates by age group (RKI)