Fact check: CDC says COVID-19 vaccines safe, no proof of deadly batches sent to red states

Nate Trela, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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A health worker administers a dose of COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination clinic in Reading, Pa. On Friday, Feb. 3, 2023.

The claim: CDC admits sending deadly batches of COVID-19 vaccines to red states

An April 17 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shares a screenshot of an article that includes a photo of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Wallensky.

“CDC Admits Red States Got ‘Rapid Kill’ COVID Vaccine Batches,” reads the article’s headline.

The post was liked more than 1,000 times in one week.

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Our rating: False

The CDC has not made such an admission, and no such thing happened. The article misrepresents data from the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System, a database where anyone can report what they think are vaccine side effects.

Claim relies on unproven, anecdotal data

Ann Hardie, a CDC spokesperson, told USA TODAY the claim is baseless.

"The claim is false," said Hardie. "Moreover, it is harmful and irresponsible because it could discourage people from getting vaccinated against COVID-19."

Hardie said data continues to show COVID-19 vaccination can help protect against severe illness, hospitalization and death

There is no mention of a deadly batch of COVID-19 vaccines on the CDC's website. There are likewise no credible news reports about any such admission from the public health agency or any deadly batches of COVID-19 vaccines in any location.

The CDC website states that everyone over the age of 6 months should be vaccinated against COVID-19.

The article, which was published by The People's Voice, claims data from the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System supports the claim. It also claims the assertion is proven out in "private leaked documents from the CDC," but it doesn't quote the documents or provide any proof such documents exist.

The People’s Voice was formerly known as News Punch, which USA TODAY has repeatedly debunked after it published fabricated stories about COVID-19 and other health-related topics.

VAERS is a database of unverified reports of adverse effects possibly related to vaccines that is operated by the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration.

Hardie emphasized that VAERS is designed to be an "early warning system" of potential safety issues, not a tool for determining if a vaccine caused the reported adverse events. It looks for unusual patterns and alerts CDC experts to potential vaccine safety concerns for further investigation.

The VAERS website includes a disclaimer that states, “VAERS reports may contain information that is incomplete, inaccurate, coincidental or unverifiable. Reports to VAERS can also be biased. As a result, there are limitations on how the data can be used scientifically."

Fact check: False claim CDC official linked ‘debilitating illnesses’ to COVID-19 shots

Despite those warnings, VAERS data is frequently cited as proof of safety issues with COVID-19 vaccines. Hardie noted that verified deaths connected to the more than 674 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered in the U.S. are exceedingly rare. VAERS has received more than 19,000 preliminary reports of deaths occurring after someone received a shot. Of those deaths, CDC is aware of nine directly attributable to COVID-19 vaccines, all connected to side effects from the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine.

USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the claim and The People’s Voice for comment.

The Associated Press also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: False claim CDC said red states got deadly vaccine batches