Israel flags possible link between Pfizer COVID vaccine and heart condition

[JohnSJ]

"
Suban Abdulla
Wed, June 2, 2021, 3:20 AM

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Israel, which has been leading the global vaccine rollout, has held off vaccinating eligible 12- to 15-year-olds pending the health ministry's report. Photo: Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images
Israel, which has been leading the global vaccine rollout, has held off vaccinating eligible 12- to 15-year-olds pending the health ministry's report.
Israel has said it has found a probable link between the Pfizer (PFE) coronavirus vaccine and a small number of heart inflammation cases in young men under the age of 30.

The link was observed more among men aged 16 to 19 than in other age groups.

The country's health ministry said 275 cases of the condition, known as myocarditis, were reported between December 2020 and May 2021 among more than 5 million vaccinated people.

According to a study commissioned by Israel to examine the matter, most patients who experienced heart inflammation spent no more than four days in hospital, with 95% of the cases considered to be mild.

"There is a probable link between receiving the second dose [of the Pfizer] vaccine and the appearance of myocarditis among men aged 16 to 30," it said.

Meanwhile, the drugmaker, which created the vaccine in collaboration with BioNTech (BTNX) said it hadn't observed a higher rate of myocarditis than would normally be expected in the general population.
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-sees-probable-link-between-pfizer-vaccine-small-number-myocarditis-cases-2021-06-01/
Israel, which has been leading the global vaccine rollout, has held off vaccinating eligible 12- to 15-year-olds pending the health ministry's report."

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/coronavirus-vaccine-pfizer-biontech-israel-myocarditis-heart-inflammation-090626937.html

"Pfizer has said it has not observed a higher rate of the condition, known as myocarditis, than would normally be expected in the general population."

[groundloop]

1. Naturally the anti-vaxxers will blow this 0.0055% incidence totally out of proportion

[Hugin]

3. You were doing some math, too?

I'm not arguing there may be a link. However, what are the risks associated with catching the 'rona in that demographic for context?

[JohnSJ]

5. Of course they will, ignoring also that it also did not observe a higher rate than would normally

be expected in the general population.

What is bothersome is the lack of details, and on what basis they came to that conclusion, since they also report it is not a higher rate than expected in the general population.

I guess it is about full transparency, however, I will be very disappointed if this is based on speculation rather than an actual correlation

[Hugin]

2. Literally a 0.0055% chance of myocarditis.

IF you happen to be a male aged 16 to 30.

[womanofthehills]

10. At Least 18 Cases of Apparent Heart Problems in Young People in CT After COVID-19 Vaccine

At least 18 teens and young adults in Connecticut have shown symptoms of heart problems after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, acting health commissioner Dr. Deirdre Gifford said Monday.

Gifford said all but one of the young adults hospitalized for signs of heart problems have been released. Four of those young residents were hospitalized at Yale New Haven Health and three at Connecticut Children's.

"All of the cases that were reported to us were hospitalized, the vast majority for a couple of days," Gifford said at the governor's regular Monday COVID-19 news conference. "One individual that we’re aware of is still hospitalized. The other 17 have been sent home and they’re doing fine." https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/at-least-18-cases-of-apparent-heart-problems-in-young-people-in-ct-after-covid-19-vaccine/ar-AAKl1I6?ocid=uxbndlbingHi

[womanofthehills]

11. More often in young males than females

NJ man may have experienced rare COVID vaccine reaction that caused heart inflammation .

Three days after Mody Shehab, a healthy 31-year-old, received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19, he developed such severe chest pain he thought he was having a heart attack. He rushed to the emergency room. Doctors performed an emergency heart procedure.

The Saddle River man had an inflammation of his heart muscle and heart membrane, a rare potential adverse event from the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that has prompted the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to alert clinicians. While not definitively linked to the vaccine, the few cases reported warrant more investigation, the CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Technical Work Group said on May 17.

The CDC said “relatively few” cases of myocarditis have followed a COVID vaccination. They occurred predominantly in adolescents and young adults, more often in males than females and usually within four days of vaccination, and were more common after the second dose. Most appear to be mild, the agency said. https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/coronavirus/2021/06/02/myocarditis-covid-vaccine-heart-inflammation-saddle-river-nj-man/7472317002/

[JoanofArgh]

4. You know what also causes myocarditis with a lot more regularity? COVID. Among

people of all age groups. I'd take my chance with the vaccine and have my doctor monitor me if I was in that age group.

[uponit7771]

9. Sound logic here 👆

[Bleacher Creature]

6. I'd take those odds over getting myocarditis as a COVID-19 symptom every day of the week. NT

[hlthe2b]

7. The Middle East has long been known for circulating ECHOVIRUSES--KNOWN to cause myocarditis--

CAUSES, NOT merely CORRELATED with myocarditis as is being suggested right now with this mRNA vaccine. These are enteric viruses that are spread from "hand-to-mouth" and with the early emphasis on hand-washing and surface disinfection (in addition to respiratory precautions) that unwisely was dropped in order to appease those who felt even washing their hands, much less masking, was too much of an imposition, it would be expected that such viruses would start spreading this summer.

What is likewise true, though is that MERS-CoV-- the middle Eastern COVID virus that emerged in 2012 in S. Arabia and associated with camel-people spread, CAN likewise cause myocarditis. As can any number of other viruses and blood-borne parasites.

So until viral serologies have been completed and MUCH more investigation have been undertaken, this is totally speculative.

[Ms. Toad]

8. Watch, gather more data, wait time.

This is starting like the blood clots did.

1. First a general observation of blood clots in some recently vaccinated individuals
2. Followed shortly thereafter by a "no more than in the unvaccinated population" dismissal
3. Ultimately teased out to be a very rare, but specific blood clotting disorder that IS caused by the adenovirus vector vaccines that needs special treatment
4. Vaccine pause in many countries, followed by (1) doctor and patient education about the specifics of the rare disorder and how to treat it + (2) an added warning about the risks.

Then life went on.

We're at the second step in this. It needs to follow its natural course - which may tease out a risk that anyone taking the vaccine should be aware of so they can do their own risk assessment. It may be a risk associated with the vaccine + some factor endemic in Israel. Or it may just be the background noise of a certain number of myocardidits events that happens even in the absence of the vaccine.

What shouldn't be happening is the chatter I see on DU anytime any potential problems with vaccines pops up dismissing the possibility that there is a connection or the need to explore it. That's an inherent part of evaluating a medical product's safety - especilly one which was rolled out so rapidly - AND - is also experiencing much more widespread use much more quickly than most (so potential issue will arise much more quickly than with thalidomide or DES, for example.)