• A peer-reviewed study of nearly 2 million Florida adults found Pfizer’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine linked to higher death rates than Moderna’s.
• Pfizer recipients faced a 39% higher risk of all-cause mortality and a 55% higher risk of cardiovascular death over 12 months.
• Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo co-authored the study, which supports his decision to stop recommending mRNA vaccines.
• Independent extrapolations suggest between 470,000 and 600,000 U.S. deaths may be linked to mRNA vaccines.
• The study raises questions about regulatory capture and the need for transparent, long-term vaccine safety data.

A new peer-reviewed study of 1,962,822 Florida adults published in Global Epidemiology found that recipients of Pfizer’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine experienced significantly higher rates of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular death and COVID-19-related death within 12 months compared to those who received Moderna’s mRNA-1273 vaccine. Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, co-author of the study, said the findings support his decision to stop recommending mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and suggest “thousands of Floridians died as a result of receiving Pfizer instead of Moderna.” The study, conducted using Florida’s public health databases, has reignited debates over vaccine safety and the integrity of federal health regulatory agencies.

Comparing mortality outcomes

The study examined 784 all-cause deaths among Pfizer recipients compared to 562 among Moderna recipients.

Researchers matched nearly 1 million Pfizer recipients with an equal number of Moderna recipients based on age, sex, race, ethnicity, vaccination month, vaccination site type and census tract. The results showed Pfizer recipients had a:

• 39% higher risk of death from any cause
• 55% higher risk of cardiovascular death
• 90% higher risk of death from COVID-19
• 36% higher risk of death from non-COVID-19 causes

This translates to 221 additional deaths per 100,000 people among the Pfizer group. Differences were greatest among adults 60 and older, though higher death rates appeared across all age groups.

Regulatory capture and vaccine safety

The findings underscore decades of concern about financial conflicts compromising drug safety oversight. The study’s implications extend beyond COVID-19. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have long faced criticism for accepting industry funding and failing to conduct independent safety surveillance. Critics point to the history of drugs like Vioxx and Celebrex, where serious side effects emerged only after widespread use. The Florida study, co-authored by MIT professor Retsef Levi – a former member of the now-suspended Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices – adds to a growing body of evidence demanding reform.

Unanswered questions and study limitations

Researchers acknowledged potential confounding factors while defending the study’s validity. The study lacked detailed medical records on underlying illnesses, did not include an unvaccinated control group, and relied on death certificates subject to misclassification errors. However, the researchers noted their large sample size, rigorous matching methods and consistency with prior studies support the findings’ validity. Dr. John Dale Dunn, a Texas physician and attorney, called the study “important because it’s a comparative analysis” that “did a good job of controlling for confounding variables.”

Implications for public health policy

The findings challenge the current approach to vaccine recommendations and informed consent. Dr. Ladapo told The Defender that the study “represents the type of work that every state public health department has the ability to conduct.” He added that “our system for evaluating vaccine safety is broken.” The study’s publication comes amid growing skepticism of federal health guidance and heightened demand for transparency. Independent analyses have estimated that between 470,000 and 600,000 American deaths may be linked to mRNA vaccines – a number that, if accurate, surpasses combined U.S. fatalities from World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War.

Conclusion

The Florida study adds urgency to calls for independent, long-term vaccine safety research. The findings highlight the need for rigorous, transparent evaluation of all medical interventions, particularly those mandated or broadly recommended. As Dr. Jane Orient, executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, noted, “What we really need to know is how those vaccinated compare with a matched unvaccinated population.” The study’s implications reach beyond COVID-19, raising fundamental questions about regulatory accountability, informed consent and the balance between public health mandates and individual rights. The debate over vaccine safety is far from over.

Sources for this article include:

ChildrensHealthDefense.org

ScienceDirect.com

Heartland.org