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.
From 2,214 reports in 1990 to 768,706 in 2021 — and the journey back to baseline.
The history of VAERS reporting can be divided into three distinct eras:
VAERS started small with just 2,214 reports in its first year. Through the 1990s and early 2000s, annual reports hovered around 10,000-18,000. This was a period of steady, predictable growth as the system matured and awareness increased.
Starting around 2007, reporting jumped to 30,000-50,000 per year. Several factors drove this: the introduction of new vaccines (HPV, rotavirus), increased digital reporting infrastructure, and growing public awareness of VAERS. The pre-COVID decade (2010-2019) averaged about 40,051 reports per year.
The COVID-19 vaccination campaign caused an explosive spike in 2021 (768,706 reports). Since then, reporting has declined 95% from the peak. By 2025, annual reports (40,283) are approaching pre-COVID levels, suggesting the system is returning to its historical baseline.
The decline from the 2021 peak is significant and expected. As COVID-19 vaccination rates dropped, booster uptake declined, and the heightened awareness of VAERS faded, reports returned toward pre-pandemic levels. This pattern confirms that the spike was driven by the pandemic context, not a permanent change in reporting behavior.