Former Top FDA Vaccine Officials Says Children Died From COVID-19 Vaccine

Dr. Vinay Prasad commented on an assessment from Food and Drug Administration staffers that he ordered.

Published: 8/27/2026, 4:01:22 PM EDT

Former Top FDA Vaccine Officials Says Children Died From COVID-19 Vaccine — Dr. Vinay Prasad, former director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, in an undated photograph. (FDA via The Epoch Times)

The Food and Drug Administration’s former top vaccine official said in a new interview that children died from COVID-19 vaccination, after FDA staffers in an assessment the official ordered deemed multiple deaths as probably or possibly caused by COVID-19 vaccines.

“So when we talk about attribution of what's the cause of death, there is certain, there's likely, there's probable, there's possible, there's uncertain,” Dr. Vinay Prasad, the former head of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in the interview with Reason. “The standard for certain is unattainable.”

For certain vaccines, one can find a portion of the vaccine or a strain contained in the vaccine in a dead person. But for myocarditis, a form of heart inflammation that COVID-19 vaccines can cause, that’s not the case, Prasad said.

“Is it the case that kids died of myocarditis from the COVID-19 vaccine? Yes, absolutely, it is the case,” he said. And just because the death isn't coded as certain and is coded as probable or possible, that doesn't negate the fact that it is attributable. In fact, the standard across all of drug development is possible and probable are attributable.”

Prasad said in a memorandum made public in late 2025 that FDA personnel he directed to assess deaths following COVID-19 vaccination that were reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, which the FDA helps manage, determined at least 10 deaths of children were related to the vaccinations.

Emails and a final copy of the FDA’s report obtained and later released by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) showed that the personnel later revised that number down to seven.

The authors of the report could either not be reached or have not responded to requests for comment.

Prasad told Reason that the report was changed due to “political or professional reasons” and that it would have been more surprising if no deaths came after COVID-19 vaccination, given that heart inflammation is a serious health problem and known side effect of the COVID-19 vaccine.

He also said that there is a second report that looks “at another age group,” has not been made public, and judges three other deaths as related to COVID-19 vaccination.

Prasad was speaking in just his second interview since leaving the Trump administration in the spring. He said that he had been on leave from a university position for only one year and left to return to that position.

In another interview, on the Get the Check Pod, Prasad said that he believes in vaccines but that he spoke out about COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic because he felt there was no evidence supporting mandating the shots. They had data that the vaccines “did not halt transmission and would barely put a dent in transmission,” he said.

The vaccines “absolutely reduced severe disease and death,” while the virus variants became less lethal, and people were protected if they recovered from COVID-19, he said later, adding that vaccines are one of the topics that are “a third rail of medicine.”

From The Epoch Times