Speaking from experience, prior to working in pharmaceuticals, my colleagues (nurses and physicians) and I were not taught to report adverse events related to vaccines via the FDA’s VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System). The only people I spoke with who were aware of VAERS, previous to COVID-19, were pharmacists. Although “healthcare providers are required by law to report to VAERS,” (VAERS, n.d.) an alarmingly small percentage of health care providers are aware of the system. Of those that are, few take the time to report adverse events related to vaccines via VAERS (McNeil et al., 2013). Even during COVID-19, I have colleagues, who are physicians, who say they are the only ones in their practice reporting events via VAERS because the rest of their colleagues: are not aware of how to report, ridicule them for being “anti-vaxx” if they report, or find the VAERS reporting system too complicated. Another disturbing mentality related to me by my colleagues is how patients suffering possible adverse events related to the vaccines (including cardiac events) would ask their physicians to report the event, but the physicians would refuse and reassure them that the events are not related. However, per the EUA’s of COVID-19 vaccines, “irrespective of attribution to vaccination,” it is illegal for these healthcare providers not to report events, especially serious adverse events resulting in death, hospitalization, etc.

My colleagues (physicians and professors at teaching institutions, including cardiologists and oncologists) have witnessed a large number of serious and even deadly cardiovascular related events. Some of them have even estimated a five-fold increase of myocarditis cases this year. Ironically, all of the physicians (including cardiologists) I spoke with strongly recommend against the Moderna vaccine, but have admitted also seeing thrombotic and other cardiovascular cases with patients receiving some of the other COVID-19 vaccines. https://orthodoxreflections.com/answering-afr-on-covid-and-the-vaccines-with-fr-john-parker-and-dr-ryan-sampson-nash/