31 Million Took COVID Boosters, Most May Be Kids: Dr. Peter McCullough On CDC’s Missing Data

Dr. Peter McCullough: an estimated 31 million COVID booster shots were taken last fall, and data suggests most were given to children entering school – the ages least likely to have serious symptoms but most likely to experience harmful mRNA side effects.

The CDC stopped reporting actual booster counts in 2023 and now relies on the National Immunization Survey, a robocall survey asking households whether they are likely to get the booster. Dr. Peter McCullough says the McCullough Foundation went a different route, taking Moderna and Pfizer sales data, applying a standard calculation, and arriving at about 31 million boosters taken last fall, or 8.9% of the US population.

His larger concern: with 29 states requiring the full ACIP vaccine schedule for school, McCullough says he would not be surprised if the majority of those 31 million are children and young people, the group least in need of protection and most associated with mRNA adverse reactions. He notes the ACIP schedule starts at six months and that a child who is overweight or has decreased fitness can still qualify.

McCullough also points to the Czech Republic, which he says is the only country to segregate vaccinated versus unvaccinated all-cause mortality; he says the data shows higher mortality in those who took the vaccine, while noting the healthy-vaccinee bias that complicates the comparison. He argues the CDC and VA already hold the data to answer these questions but have not merged it. On a recent VA study reporting that COVID boosters reduced heart attacks, McCullough says the design cherry-picks its groups and window, notes Dr. Vinay Prasad flagged its conclusions as null, and points out the all-cause efficacy was about 6%, which he calls negligible. He adds that the FDA agrees the shots can cause myocarditis and other cardiac problems.

From the 7/1/2026 episode of Ask Dr. Drew.