That’s why shares of both Pfizer and Moderna cratered on Friday. This decline followed news that health officials from the Trump administration plan to attribute COVID-19 vaccines to the death of 25 children. Next week, a very important presentation will address this very serious charge. It will soon go before a crucial vaccine advisory panel that advises the notoriously vaccine-friendly Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
As the Washington Post reported, former officials from the Trump administration are getting ready to take their findings on the road. This change comes amidst recent efforts to promote continued discussion and advocacy for vaccine safety. This piece of news was enough to send panic through the investor community in the pharmaceutical industry, particularly shocking the system of companies like Pfizer and Moderna.
Perhaps as a direct result of the report, Pfizer’s stock took at least a 15% hit on its value, with Moderna losing significant value as well. And Novavax, a third company piggybacking on the vaccine development craze, watched its shares fall more than 4%. This overall market response is indicative of the increasing skepticism about the safety of COVID vaccines, particularly among children.
Pfizer and Moderna are rebuffing scary accusations in a big way. They stress that thorough, ongoing safety reviews in the U.S., Australia, Canada and Europe have determined no new or unexpected safety issues related to children or pregnant women.
“We do know at the FDA, because we’ve been looking into the [vaccine safety] database of self-reports, that there have been children who have died from the Covid vaccine.” – Marty Makary
The FDA has opened an expansive investigation. The big question that they are investigating is if there is any relationship between COVID vaccine and deaths in children. This announcement by FDA Commissioner Marty Makary was made in an interview with CNN. He underscored the agency’s commitment to closely and thoughtfully studying this important and sensitive issue.
The CDC’s vaccine advisory panel will be discussing the presentation and its finding of a possible causal link between COVID vaccines and increased deaths in children. Given that this panel makes fundamental vaccine policy and recommendation decisions, this presentation is therefore quite timely and important.
Additionally, Moderna once again emphasized that their vaccine has been “rigorously monitored” for safety. The company maintains that no new concerns regarding safety in children or pregnant women have emerged from their extensive reviews.
“There have been no new or undisclosed safety concerns in children or in pregnant women.” – Moderna
The current investigation into the potential links between COVID vaccines and child fatalities underscores the complexities surrounding vaccine administration and public health communication. USU recommends that all parents and guardians remain educated to protect children as more from this ongoing investigation is revealed.