Important: VAERS reports alone cannot determine if a vaccine caused an adverse event. Reports may contain incomplete, inaccurate, or unverified information. Correlation does not equal causation.
COVID-19 Vaccine in 2023
54,720 adverse event reports (-75% vs 2022)
2023 Reporting Summary
In 2023, 54,720 adverse event reports were filed for COVID-19 Vaccine in VAERS. This represents 4.9% of all 1,121,388 reports for this vaccine.
Of these reports, 2,087 mentioned death, 13,999 involved hospitalization, 4,038 required ER visits, and 2,119 reported disability.
Compared to the average of 153,760 reports per year for this vaccine, 2023 was below average (-64%).
💡 What This Means
High report volume: 54,720 reports in a single year is significant. This typically reflects large-scale vaccination campaigns rather than increased risk per dose. Without knowing total doses administered in 2023, raw report counts cannot indicate safety rates.
Death reports require context: 2,087 death reports does not mean the vaccine caused 2,087 deaths. VAERS accepts all reports regardless of causation. Many recipients are elderly or have comorbidities, and background mortality rates must be considered.
All Years for COVID-19 Vaccine
Understanding Yearly Data
Quick Facts
Related Pages
Data Source
This data comes from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), jointly managed by CDC and FDA.