HealthSeptember 9, 2026

Army physician reviews military VAERS reports after appointment at HHS

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② Start Lesson

Key Vocabulary

deposition/ˌdepəˈzɪʃən/

formal testimony given under oath in a legal setting

"She gave a deposition on August 14."

VAERS/ˈveɪ.ɜːrz/

the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, a public database for reports after vaccination

"The report was filed in VAERS."

adviser/ədˈvaɪzər/

a person who gives advice or guidance in a specific area

"She works as a senior medical adviser."

Listening

Army physician reviews military VAERS reports after appointment at HHS

An Army doctor, Theresa Long, is reviewing reports of deaths among U.S. service members after Covid vaccination. In an August 14 deposition she said she is examining 2,544 unverified deaths reported in the federal vaccine database, VAERS. She said she was named senior medical military adviser to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and also reports to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

VAERS is a public reporting system that collects events that happen after vaccination, but a report does not prove that a vaccine caused a death. Long said she believes 28 deaths were vaccine-related and hopes to finish the review within a year. The claims are under review and not yet verified.

112 words

Quiz

1. Who is reviewing the reports?

2. How many unverified deaths is she examining?

3. Which database is cited in the article?

Reading Practice

Read the article from the Listening section aloud. Your AI teacher will give you pronunciation feedback.

Discussion

Do you worry when you hear about health reports after vaccination? Why or why not?

Have you ever filled a medical report or seen a doctor for a problem after a vaccine? What happened?

What do you think is important when people study health and safety data?