The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) says the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has blocked publication of multiple studies that conclude COVID-19 and shingles vaccines are safe. According to an HHS spokesperson, agency scientists conducted the research by analyzing large sets of patient records and found that serious side effects are rare. The HHS account says the studies were funded with taxpayer money and cost several million dollars, and that they examined vaccine safety using data from 2023 and 2024 for COVID-19 vaccines. The reports also describe similar safety findings for shingles vaccination. Forbes and The Guardian both report that the decision affects studies’ ability to be published, without providing specific details about the FDA’s reasons for blocking the work or whether any final regulatory determinations have been made. Neither source includes new clinical trial results beyond the safety findings characterized as rare serious adverse events. The claims are attributed to an HHS official speaking about the situation rather than to the original study publications themselves.