Pentagon investigating possible link between COVID-19 vaccinations, military deaths

An Army doctor told a federal court in Virginia she's working with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to probe whether troops died from Covid-19 vaccines after President Joe Biden mandated the shots for service members in 2021, Report informs.

In an August 14 deposition obtained by POLITICO, Theresa Long said Hegseth detailed her to be Kennedy"s senior medical military adviser. Her role at HHS has not been previously reported. Kennedy, a longtime vaccine safety skeptic, has hired others who share his skepticism to investigate vaccine injuries and to probe any links between vaccines and rising rates of autism. Studies done over decades have not found a link.

Kennedy's taken particular aim at Covid vaccines - which he once described as the "most deadly vaccines in history" - by ending a government recommendation that most Americans get them annually. Vaccine safety experts say Kennedy's statement is false and that it has contributed to some Americans' decision to forgo vaccination that could reduce the severity of the disease.

Groups representing doctors Wednesday urged Americans to get the shots. Covid vaccine uptake rates among adults have continued to drop during Donald Trump's presidency, from the low-20s when he took over to high teens.

As part of her role, Long said she's looking into whether 2,544 unverified deaths among service members reported to HHS' Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System - or VAERS - were caused by Covid vaccines.

Long, who is board-certified in aerospace medicine and has a master's in public health, told the court she hoped to be able to finish her research on the potential vaccine complications "within a year."