At least 275 cases of myocarditis were reported in Israel between December 2020 and May 2021 among more than 5 million vaccinated people.
New Delhi: A few cases of heart inflammation have been reported among young men who were administered Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, Israel’s Health Ministry said on Tuesday, claiming that the condition was linked to the vaccination. Known as myocarditis, it is a condition where the body’s immune system reacts to the heart’s muscle and electrical system causing inflammation, often reducing the heart’s ability to pump or causing rapid and abnormal heart rhythms.
At least 275 cases of myocarditis were reported in Israel between December 2020 and May 2021 among more than 5 million vaccinated people, the ministry said, disclosing the findings of a study it commissioned to examine the cause
The study found “there is a probable link between receiving the second dose (of Pfizer) vaccine and the appearance of myocarditis among men aged 16 to 30,” Israel’s health ministry said in a statement.
“A viral infection usually causes myocarditis, but it can result from a reaction to a drug or be part of a more general inflammatory condition. Signs and symptoms include chest pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, and arrhythmias,” the Mayo Clinic defines the heart condition.
Besides, 95 per cent of patients who experienced heart inflammation spent no longer than 4 days in the hospital as the cases were mild, according to the study. However, what is concerning is that myocarditis was observed mostly among men aged 16 to 19 who were receiving the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
Pfizer has said it has not observed a higher rate of the condition than would normally be expected in the general population. The pharma giant also said that it was aware of Israel’s observations of myocarditis, but no causal link in connection to the vaccine has been established yet.
Adverse events are thoroughly reviewed and Pfizer meets regularly with the Vaccine Safety Department of the Israeli Ministry of Health to review data, the COVID-19 vaccine-maker said.
