Moderna’s two-dose Covid-19 vaccine has a higher rate of heart inflammation than Pfizer. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Panel of outside experts found that the benefits outweigh the risks.
Friday’s meeting of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunizing Practices saw them discuss the risk of myocarditis following vaccinations with Moderna or Pfizer.
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, myocarditis can be a condition that causes inflammation of the heart muscle. This can lead to serious health problems. Myocarditis occurs most commonly after a viral infection. However, the CDC found a link between myocarditis and vaccinations with Moderna or Pfizer’s shots.
Myocarditis is more common in teenage boys and young adults who have received the second dose of mRNA vaccines (both Moderna and Pfizer). Within a few days, symptoms include chest pain, fatigue, and shortness of breath.
Although it is rare, myocarditis has been linked to Moderna’s and Pfizer’s vaccines. According to the CDC’s safety monitoring program, which collects data from nine state-based healthcare agencies, the risk of myocarditis was greater after Moderna’s second dose.
According to the study, Moderna vaccine recipients experienced 10.7 more cases of myocarditis or pericarditis for every 1,000,000 second doses. This was compared with people who received Pfizer. Men had 21.9 cases of myocarditis or pericarditis more than women after Moderna’s second shot. Women only had 1.6.
There was no difference in symptoms between people who received shots from either company. According to the study, most patients were admitted to the hospital for one day. No one was admitted to intensive treatment.
Canadian public health officials found that myocarditis rates were five times higher in males aged 18-24 after receiving Moderna’s second vaccine than Pfizer. Myocarditis rates were also higher in those who had received Moderna and Pfizer in their first doses than in those who had two Pfizer shots.
A CDC official Dr. Sara Oliver said that more myocarditis patients would be expected after Moderna’s vaccine. However, Moderna’s shots would prevent more Covid hospitalizations and more deaths than Pfizer vaccine. Oliver stated that the benefits of the mRNA vaccines outweigh any potential risks.
Pfizer’s vaccine has been recommended by Canada, the United Kingdom, and many other countries over Moderna’s shot for higher-risk groups. Professor of Pediatrics at Ohio State University Dr. Pablo Sanchez said that the CDC’s vaccine specialists should make a similar recommendation.
Sanchez stated that it was possible that in the most high-risk groups, the younger males, we should recommend Moderna over Pfizer.
Research continues to investigate what causes myocarditis following Covid vaccination. Canadian public health officials also discovered that myocarditis rates were higher after Moderna and Pfizer vaccines when the time between the first and second doses was shorter than 30 days.
To reduce the risk of myocarditis, the CDC’s vaccine experts suggest a longer interval between the first and second doses. Moderna’s vaccine has been approved for adults over 18 years old. The vaccine from Pfizer is approved for adults 16 years old and older. It has been authorized on an urgent basis for children aged 5-15 years.
According to a CDC survey, cardiologists and other healthcare professionals found that the majority of myocarditis patients who received Covid vaccination were fully healed and reported no adverse effects on their quality of life.
According to the survey, 81% of patients with myocarditis who received vaccinations were cured or likely to recover within 37 weeks. The condition of 15% of the patients had improved while 1% were not improving.
Eighty-three percent of patients had physical restrictions following myocarditis. However, 39% of patients still had restrictions at the time the survey was conducted. To ensure that myocarditis is fully healed, doctors recommend that patients with the condition refrain from vigorous exercise for at least a few months.
According to data, there were no deaths due to myocarditis in the group following vaccination.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, myocarditis is more common in people with Covid infection than those who have received vaccines. According to a paper published in Nature Reviews Cardiology, the risk of developing myocarditis after Covid vaccination is 100 times greater than that from Covid.
“There is a danger in focusing only on vaccine and myocarditis when the elephant in room is really true disease. True infection from COVID-19, and potentially devastating, even life-threatening myocarditis,” Dr. Camille Kotton at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, who is an expert in infectious diseases and people with compromised immune systems.
This post was written by a medical professional at The Wellness Firm. The Wellness Firm services include workplace flu clinics, workplace flu vaccination providers, onsite rapid Covid testing in St Pete, the physical exam for employment, as well as American Heart Association CPR certification classes. Founded by local Firemen, The Wellness Firm has been providing a safer Tampa Bay since 2006.
