How many reported deaths have been directly linked to childhood vaccinations in the US since 2020?

1. What the reporting says: an internal FDA count of “10”

Multiple news outlets summarized an FDA internal memo and statements by agency officials saying a review of 96 VAERS reports found no fewer than 10 pediatric deaths that agency reviewers judged to be related to COVID‑19 vaccination, and that myocarditis was implicated in those cases ^{[1] [2] [5] [3] [4]}. Reuters and NBC specifically reported the “10 deaths” figure and noted the analysis covered reports from 2021–2024 ^{[1] [2]}.

2. What the sources do not show: missing publicly released evidence

Reporters and experts repeatedly note the memo and public comments have not released the full case data, autopsy findings, ages, comorbidities or detailed adjudication criteria that led to the “related” determinations — standard information needed for external scientific evaluation — and those omissions have drawn criticism from vaccine experts ^{[3] [2] [6]}. The memo’s author suggested the true number could be higher, but did not provide data in the public reporting ^{[6] [2]}.

3. Where the reports come from: VAERS and internal FDA review

The described analysis relied on deaths voluntarily reported to VAERS and an internal review within the FDA’s vaccine office ^{[5] [2]}. News outlets emphasize that VAERS is a passive reporting system that records temporal associations and is routinely used as a signal‑detection tool; determining causation normally requires additional clinical, autopsy and epidemiologic investigation ^{[5] [3] [7]}.

4. Alternative perspectives and expert pushback

Prominent vaccine scientists and public‑health voices cited in reporting warned the memo’s claims are extraordinary and require transparent data; some called the memo’s public assertions premature without sharing evidence, while others worried the agency’s move to tighten vaccine approval rules could undermine routine childhood immunization ^{[6] [2] [8]}. Reporting also highlights that CDC and other studies continue to show COVID vaccines reduce severe outcomes and that myocarditis risks were already acknowledged and characterized by regulators ^{[1] [3] [9]}.

5. Historical and programmatic context: deaths after vaccination are rare and investigated

Federal surveillance and scientific literature note that serious adverse events, including deaths, are rare and that coincidental deaths temporally following vaccination do occur simply because millions are vaccinated; the CDC and peer‑reviewed studies describe established processes to investigate such events ^{[7] [10]}. Past large reviews have typically found no broad causal link between routine childhood vaccines and most categories of sudden death, though rare causal events (for example, anaphylaxis) are recognized ^{[10] [7]}.

6. What this means for the original question

If the question is “How many reported deaths have been directly linked to childhood vaccinations in the US since 2020?” the most specific, widely cited recent claim in mainstream sources is that an FDA review judged at least 10 childhood deaths to be related to COVID‑19 vaccination based on their internal analysis of VAERS reports from 2021–2024 ^{[1] [2] [4]}. Available sources do not mention a comprehensive public tally of all pediatric deaths causally linked to any childhood vaccine across every vaccine type since 2020; reporters say the FDA has not released detailed case data to allow external verification ^{[3] [6]}.

7. Limitations, next steps and what to watch

Limitations are clear in the reporting: the number “10” comes from an internal, not‑fully‑published analysis of VAERS reports; independent experts cited in coverage ask for the underlying case files, autopsies and adjudication methods before accepting a causal count ^{[3] [2] [6]}. Watch for formal, public FDA or CDC releases of the data and for peer‑reviewed investigations; absent that, current reporting documents the agency claim but does not provide externally verifiable evidence ^{[1] [3] [4]}.