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Where can I find up-to-date safety data and adverse event reports for the Pfizer COVID vaccine (CDC, FDA, EMA)?
Executive summary
For up‑to‑date safety data and adverse‑event reports on Pfizer’s COVID vaccine, the primary public sources are the CDC (including Vaccine Safety pages, VSD, v‑safe, and VAERS), the FDA (product labels, EUA documents, prescribing information and safety communications), and the EMA (product assessment reports and periodic safety updates) — all of which are cited below [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]. Independent analyses, journal articles and fact‑checks repeatedly warn that raw adverse‑event lists (for example in Pfizer’s post‑authorization reports) are not proof of causation and must be interpreted through active surveillance and regulator review [6] [7] [8].
1. Where to go first: the official federal dashboards and portals
If you want official, current U.S. information, start with CDC vaccine safety pages and the CDC’s product summary for Pfizer‑Comirnaty; the CDC explains ongoing monitoring systems and posts guidance and effectiveness updates for each season [1] [9] [10]. For raw report access, VAERS is the national database co‑run by CDC and FDA where anyone can view adverse event reports submitted after vaccination [2]. V‑safe is CDC’s patient‑reported follow‑up tool that feeds into VAERS and provides near‑real‑time patient check‑ins [11].
2. How the FDA publishes safety findings and labeling changes
The FDA publishes the clinical and pharmacovigilance materials used to authorize or approve vaccines (EUA documents, memoranda, and prescribing info). Those documents include cumulative adverse‑event summaries submitted by Pfizer and any FDA‑required labeling updates; for example, FDA required expanded myocarditis/pericarditis warnings and asked manufacturers to add updated safety language to prescribing information [3] [12] [13]. FDA memoranda also note how VAERS and other surveillance systems were queried during review [3].
3. Where Europe publishes safety reviews and periodic reports
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) issues public assessment reports and periodic safety update reviews (PSURs) for Comirnaty; EMA and national agencies have reviewed Pfizer’s safety data and in 2024–2025 issued updates without changing the overall benefit‑risk balance, and agencies expect regular PSUR cycles [5] [14]. AFP and other fact‑checks point to EMA’s ongoing monitoring and to the November 2024 safety update mentioned in agency communications [5].
4. Interpreting adverse‑event lists: reports ≠ proven side effects
Multiple fact‑checks and reviews caution that lists of “adverse events” collected after authorization are not the same as established side effects. A recurring public confusion: a 2021 Pfizer post‑authorization adverse‑event compilation has been repurposed on social media as a new list of side effects; science and fact‑check outlets emphasize that AERs require epidemiologic study to determine causation [6] [15] [7]. Academic VAERS analyses have identified signals (e.g., myocarditis associations) that were then studied in active surveillance systems like the Vaccine Safety Datalink [8] [16].
5. Which systems detect and confirm safety signals
VAERS functions as an early‑warning, passive reporting system; regulators use it to detect signals but then run controlled analyses in active systems such as the CDC’s Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) and Clinical Immunization Safety Assessment (CISA) to estimate incidence and causal links [17] [8] [1]. Published CDC MMWR effectiveness and safety reports summarize those follow‑up analyses and conflicts of interest disclosures for study authors [16].
6. Recent, high‑profile safety topics and where to find updates
Myocarditis/pericarditis is a documented, rare risk identified early and since reflected in labeling and safety communications; FDA’s June–July 2025 actions required expanded warnings and long‑term follow‑up studies for people who developed myocarditis after mRNA vaccines [12] [18] [13]. For pregnancy, EMA and regulators have updated product information and reviewed PSURs addressing outcomes in infants born to vaccinated people [5]. For claims about deaths or mass harms, major outlets note that VAERS contains unverified reports and that regulators are the entities that determine causality after investigation [19] [20].
7. Best practice for a reader seeking trustworthy, current data
Use primary regulator sites first: CDC vaccine safety pages, VAERS portal and V‑safe (U.S.), the FDA’s product labeling / EUA packages, and EMA’s public assessment and PSUR summaries for Europe [1] [2] [3] [5]. Treat raw adverse‑event lists with caution: consult regulator analyses, peer‑reviewed follow‑up studies, and fact‑checks before inferring causation [6] [8]. If you want consolidated company material, Pfizer publishes safety updates and labeling on its medical pages and in the prescribing information [21] [22].
Limitations and caveats: official systems differ in transparency and update cadence; VAERS contains unverified reports and needs active surveillance confirmation [2] [17]. Available sources do not mention a single, consolidated international dashboard that merges FDA, CDC and EMA line‑by‑line adverse‑event adjudications in real time; for now you must consult each regulator’s public pages and follow their linked analyses [2] [3] [5].