Last Updated on July 17, 2024 by Nivedita
Quick Take
A number of social media users have claimed that the rate of miscarriage has increased due to Covid-19 vaccines quoting data from VAERS. We fact-checked and found that the claim is mostly false.
The Claim
“2,433 fetal deaths in VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) in pregnant women vaccinated against COVID19. This is more fetal deaths in the last 11 months than in the last 30 years,” claimed one of the social media users in a Tweet given below.
Similar claims have been made by users on Instagram where the number claimed was above 2500.
In most cases, users recent published study report from ovenvaers.com.
Fact Check
What is VAERS?
Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) is a early warning system to detect possible safety problems in U.S.-licensed vaccines. VAERS is co-managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The system is put in place to see any abnormal rate of growth for any health conditions and investigate it further.
Did openvaers.com record 2500 miscarriages?
Yes. BUT, Open VAERS tracks count of miscarriages post vaccinations and not due to vaccinations. Each miscarriage can have a different reason.
VAERS has already clarified that its data alone cannot determine whether the vaccine caused the reported adverse event to correct such misrepresentation.
Are Covid-19 vaccines safe for pregnant women?
Yes. Covid-19 vaccines are declared safe for pregnant women by multiple health authorities across the world.
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation have recommended Covid vaccines for pregnant women at any stage of their pregnancy.
Articles published on New England Journal of Medicine and in the Journal of the American Medical Association did not find any increased risk of spontaneous abortion or adverse pregnancy outcomes after vaccination. Similar findings were reflected in studies done by the CDC.
Some reported cases of spontaneous miscarriages that were reported was studied in a research and the report published on JAMA. Researchers concluded, “Spontaneous abortions did not have an increased odds of exposure to a COVID-19 vaccination in the prior 28 days compared with ongoing pregnancies.”
In India, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has also advocated Covid-19 vaccination for pregnant women.