Why experts say not to worry about myocarditis link to some COVID-19 vaccines

On Tuesday, a report from the Israeli Ministry of Health was released, which reported on a “probable” link between certain vaccines against the coronavirus and cases of myocarditis.

It is an inflammation of the heart muscle, which has occurred in people who have received a messenger RNA vaccine like those developed by Pfizer / BioNTech or Moderna, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

It is worth noting that the manufacturing process for all COVID-19 vaccines, including the one created by Pfizer which was used almost exclusively in Israel, expedited for your emergency clearance in light of the progress of the pandemic in the world, and that its phase III trials are underway.

While the vast majority of the medical community was strongly in favor of vaccines, the general public sometimes raised concerns.

In this direction, The announcement of Israel’s health portfolio, if not placed in context, while respecting the commitment to full transparency on the vaccination processes in the country and the proper follow-up of cases, risks be misinterpreted.

“First of all, to really assess whether there is a link between the vaccine and cases of myocarditis, we need a lot more than what the ministry has communicated,” said Professor Eyal Leshem, director of the Center for travel medicine and tropical diseases from the Center. Doctor Saba. “Among other things, we need to know how much time has passed between inoculation and the event, we need a group of cases and controls. Evaluating a possible side effect of a vaccine is very difficult», He remarked during a dialogue with The Jerusalem post.

“Correct analysis of information takes time, and it could also be that the effect is so rare that Israel will never have enough mass to provide adequate data. she added. In the United States, where tens of millions of doses have been administered, there was no clear evidence of this. “

Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle that can be caused by a viral infection, but it also appears as a reaction to a drug. Symptoms include chest pain, arrhythmias, and shortness of breath.

The Israeli ministry report showed that of the 275 cases of myocarditis reported in that country between December and May, since the start of the vaccination campaign, 148 have occurred after a vaccine, most after the second dose. Over 95% was considered benign.

Most patients were discharged from the hospital within four days, and many cases have been reported in men between the ages of 16 and 30.

According to Leshem, cases could still be part of the normal onset of inflammation. Unless there is an exhaustive control comparing the data of the vaccinated population with those of the normal population, it will not be possible to demonstrate that there is a link between one event (the vaccine) and the other (myocarditis).

“It is not a test, it is just a sign that the phenomenon needs to be investigated,” said the specialist.

“Even if the link was proven, the vast majority of cases were mild and resolved on their own and that is the most important part,” he said. And I add: “We know that all vaccines can have side effects. One in a thousand doses may have caused mild inflammation of the heart. If we found that one in 10,000 doses can cause mild myocarditis, this could be considered an acceptable rate of adverse events. “

Leshem stressed that after the vaccine, people should refrain from any strenuous physical activity that could promote the occurrence of these events.

For the teacher, the key message is that the public receives full data but is interpreted by experts “because it can be scary”.

“In realidad, todos los que nos rodean se vacunaron y con millones y millones de dosis no hubo una tasa sustancial de eventos adversos, por lo que no hay razón para pensar que nos estamos perdiendo algo que es común”, insisted el especialista, para who “Regarding very rare adverse events, there is no medical treatment that does not, including the most common drugs like paracetamol”.

“Our Department of Health is very careful and is one of the best experts in the world. People have to follow their recommendations, ”he concluded.

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