After visiting the National Institutes of Health on Monday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revealed a new federal initiative aimed at investigating vaccine injuries.
Kennedy spoke with several individuals who have experienced vaccine injuries at the NIH headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland. He listened to their stories and discussed the Department’s commitment to enhancing the study of vaccine-related issues. This includes launching a new research program at the NIH Clinical Center and establishing a new billing code to help doctors report serious vaccine side effects, according to a report from the New York Times.
In a press release on Thursday, the HHS secretary emphasized, “We must listen to patients and families who report vaccine injuries — not dismiss or gaslight them. President Trump and I are working on a health system that takes these concerns seriously, investigates the evidence, and uses the findings to improve vaccine safety. This approach is essential for restoring trust in our public health institutions.”
The department outlined its plans for an agency-wide initiative aimed at bolstering research, reporting, and patient care regarding vaccine injuries.
Not only is HHS setting up a new vaccine research clinic at the NIH, but it’s also moving to implement electronic health records, enhancing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), and proposing policies to reimburse physicians for reporting suspected vaccine-related injuries through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
When approached for further comments, an HHS spokesperson directed inquiries to the press release.
The NIH unveiled two documents on its website in June that focus on vaccine safety. They are titled “Epidemiological Studies of Vaccination and Health Outcomes Across the Lifespan” and “Using Clinical Studies and Human-Based Models to Understand Vaccine Mechanisms Impacting Efficacy and Safety.”
A study released in November 2025 on the NIH-run PubMed Central indicated that vaccine injury is significantly underreported. This study distinguished alarming inconsistencies in reports about “adverse events following immunization (AEFIs).”
“The underreporting of AEFIs deserves serious attention from both the scientific community and public health agencies, as it could affect the reliability of vaccine safety evaluations and fuel vaccine hesitancy,” the study concluded.
Brianne Dressen, one of the patients who met Kennedy, shared her experience of developing severe adverse effects after participating in a clinical trial for a COVID-19 vaccine made by AstraZeneca, which was withdrawn from circulation in 2024 due to links to a rare blood-clotting disorder.
Dressen has since filed a lawsuit against AstraZeneca and established React19, a science-based advocacy group dedicated to researching and raising awareness about vaccine injuries.
Recently, there were claims that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may have misrepresented the number of reported COVID-19 vaccine-related deaths in children while downplaying autopsy findings, as highlighted by documents released by Republican Senator Ron Johnson.
Additionally, under former FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, vaccine manufacturers like Pfizer and Moderna were required to conduct more safety studies. After discovering COVID vaccine deaths in children, the FDA indicated it would strengthen its vaccine standards. However, these plans have since been abandoned following Makary’s departure in May.
