CDC: Some COVID shots may be linked to rare heart problems in teens
The FDA on Wednesday said it plans to add a warning to Pfizer and Moderna vaccines after a CDC advisory panel said data suggests a “likely association” between the vaccines and rare cases of heart inflammation in adolescents and young adults. Despite the warning, doctors and researchers say they still strongly recommend that all Americans 12 and older get vaccinated, noting that the heart problems are uncommon and in most cases very mild.
The CDC tracked more than 1,200 cases of myocarditis, which is inflammation of the heart muscle, and pericarditis, which is inflammation of the outer lining of the heart. More than 800 of the cases occurred after the second dose, and 65% were linked to the Pfizer vaccine. The largest share of the cases occurred in men under the age of 24, according to the report.
“This experience was much better than getting COVID and much lower risk of anything long lasting occurring,” Noah Hiers said.
Meanwhile, vaccine hesitancy and the Delta variant continue to drive new COVID-19 cases. In parts of southwest Missouri, COVID-19 hospitalizations are up 160%, as doctors fear an influx of summer tourism in nearby Branson. In some parts of the state, only one in four people are vaccinated.
Louie Michael and his wife Pattie, who are not vaccinated, are both now recovering from the disease.
“Get this shot now and bypass what we’ve been through the last two weeks — because you feel like you’re going to die, it’s horrible,” Michael said.
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