[The British Medical Journal] revealed the fact that the CDC has actually been running two parallel VAERS systems: a public one with limited data, and a real one that only the government has access to.
Anyone can access VAERS and run a database search.
The reports are fully readable by everyone. What is not publicly available are personal details. Researchers can access the personal details for the purpose of verifying a report, requesting further data, etc. And they can't just access that information willy-nilly; they must have a justification for it.