Robert F. Kennedy Jr., recently appointed as the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), has outlined plans to establish a new sub-agency within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) dedicated to addressing vaccine injuries. This initiative also aims to tackle issues related to long COVID and Lyme disease. Kennedy announced this development during an interview with Chris Cuomo on “NewsNation,” emphasizing that the sub-agency would prioritize “gold-standard science” to understand and treat vaccine-related injuries, reflecting a commitment to public health concerns raised by advocates. He noted that the American public’s priorities include better management of these conditions, with the new agency intended to specialize in researching and finding treatments for those affected.
The sub-agency is framed as a response to growing reports of vaccine injuries, necessitating specialized attention and amid broader discussions about vaccine safety and injury reporting. New York Times recently did an investigation acknowledging that individuals injured by COVID vaccines feel ignored and data suggests that for instance the number of children who died following COVID-19 vaccinations may be significantly higher than what is reflected in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Analyst Albert Benavides, cited in an article by Michael Nevradakis, Ph.D, reviewed VAERS data from December 2020 to October 2024, estimates that the actual number could range between 800 and 1,600 deaths for this group when accounting for underreporting.
In a Fox interview Kennedy was asked if he thinks the COVID injections and boosters are safe and he replied: “We don’t have good data on it, and that is a crime. The fact that we don’t have a surveillance system that actually works.” “In 2010, the CDC had a surveillance system called the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, and it’s supposed to pick up injuries. But the CDC did a study of that system in 2010, and that study said, and this is a published study by the CDC, that it captures less than 1% of vaccine injuries. That’s inexcusable.”
Compensation for vaccine injuries, particularly those related to COVID-19 shots, remains a contentious issue as well. In an artice dated December 20, 2024, author Brenda Baletti details the challenges faced by claimants under the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP), the only current avenue for those injured by COVID vaccines in the U.S. As of December 1, 2024, the CICP had received 13,555 claims related to COVID vaccine injuries, yet only 20 had been compensated, with payouts averaging around $4,000, except for one death case. Critics describe the program as a “legal black hole,” as it fails to adequately support those with severe reactions due to its limited scope and lack of transparency. In contrast, the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), which handles claims for routinely recommended vaccines, has paid out over $5.2 billion since 1986, but heavily critizised as well.
Kennedy’s plan involves integrating it within the CDC to enhance surveillance and response to vaccine injuries, potentially addressing gaps in systems like VAERS and CICP. While specifics on its structure and funding remain unclear, the initiative signals a shift toward prioritizing vaccine injury as a public health issue.
Kennedy’s initiative to create a CDC sub-agency for vaccine injuries and push for transparency in health data happens at the same time as he is restructuring HHS. Earlier 10 000 employees were bought out, now followed by another 10 000 employees expected to be fired. Kennedy arguments that this will not affect the efficiency of the agency as no frontworkers, no services, no medic care will be affected, but streamlining the agency will get focus back on the core mission to make the American public healthy again.
