Report: FDA Refusing to Release Results of Autopsies in Cases Relating to COVID-19 Inoculations

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The FDA refused FIOA requests – even for redacted reports – after noting that federal laws that guard against the release of “personnel and medical files and similar files the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.” File photo credit: JhvePhoto / Shutterstock.com, licensed.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reportedly withholding the release of autopsy results relating to deaths of individuals who had previously received COVID-19 vaccinations according to a conservative media outlet that has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

The FDA is rightfully arguing that releasing confidential medical files without the permission of the families of the deceased would be a violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) – and thus illegal – but some experts say that autopsy results could be released if the personal information contained within are redacted, which would render the subject anonymous.

The Epoch Times is the media organization that issued the FOIA request to the FDA, asking for autopsy reports relating to fatalities reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) of individuals who had passed away after having received a COVID-19 vaccine.

VAERS is a portal run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since 1990 that medical professionals and the public can utilize to record instances of harmful side effects to various inoculations. The FDA then follows-up and investigates the reports, and has the authorities to view related medical records and reports in the process.

The FDA refused The Epoch Times’ FIOA request – even for redacted reports – after noting that federal laws that guard against the release of “personnel and medical files and similar files the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.”

The FDA did not give a reason why they had declined to release redacted versions of the reports, which according to drug safety advocate and FDA advisor Kim Witczak would be “easy” to do, would preserve the privacy of the patients in question, while making valuable health and safety information available to the public.

“The personal information could easily be redacted without losing the potential learnings from [the] autopsy,” she said. “If someone submits their experience to VAERS they want and expect to have it investigated by the FDA. This includes autopsy reports. Autopsies can be an important part of postmortem analysis and should be done especially with increased deaths following COVID-19 vaccination.”

The FDA has stated that instances of death after having received a COVID-19 vaccine are rare. As of September 14, 2022, 616 million COVID vaccines have been administered in the United States; of that number, 16,516 reports of death have been reported to VAERS following inoculation.

The FDA has not said if they ever plan on releasing COVID-19-related autopsy reports in the future.

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