What the data from the latest studies say on myocarditis, a very rare side effect that occurs mainly after the second dose in young males. The limits of the single dose
Some countries (such as Finland and Sweden) have Moderna’s vaccine suspended under 30 (Denmark under 18) and others, including Britain, Hong Kong and Norway, have recommended a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine for boys, with the intent of providing partial protection from the virus, but avoiding potential heart problems (temporary myocarditis) observed occasionally after two doses of mRNA vaccines, especially in young males.
Political decisions
Health officials in those countries are particularly concerned about increasing data suggesting that myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart, may be more common among adolescents and young adults after vaccination (especially the second dose) than previously thought.
Italy has no indication that it goes in the direction of the suspension of the Moderna vaccine for the younger age groups, said the Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza. I believe there is a need for more coordination between countries. And I believe that we must trust the international authorities, starting with the EMA which is our reference agency and has expressed very clear opinions on the matter, he added.
The drug agencies
The studies conducted so far have all concluded that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks, so much so that both the FDA (US regulatory agency) and EMA (European Medicines Agency) have recommended and continue to do so recommend the vaccine to over 12s, although in July EMA included myocarditis as a rare side effect in the product information for the two RNA vaccines. Preliminary analysis of new data, relating to reports of undesirable cardiac effects following anti-Covid vaccination with mRna products from Northern countries
here
indicate the possibility that the risk of myocarditis in younger men may be higher after a second dose of ModernaEMA spokespersons at time.news Salute would have said, specifying that the indications do not change. The risk, in fact, remains very small and significant only after the second dose and all reported cases have resolved favorably.
What scientific research says
The latest study published Wednesday on New England Journal of Medicine
found that the incidence of myocarditis after vaccination in Israel was highest among males aged 16-29. About 11 in 100,000 males in that age group they developed the condition a few days after being vaccinated, a rate higher than most previous estimates. A second study, also published in the same journal, found that boys between the ages of 16 and 19 had the highest incidence of myocarditis. after the second dose, 9 times higher compared to unvaccinated children of the same age during the same period. Another study published October 4 in the journal Jama Internal Medicine found in the USA 5.8 cases of myocarditis per million second doses among men with an average age of 25. The risk after the first dose was much lower, at 0.8 cases per million, no more than would be expected in that age group. Symptoms resolved within days: no patient needed intensive care admission and no one had to return to hospital after discharge.
Impact on Covid children
The numbers reported in the Nordic countries and in the latest studies, however, have changed the calculation of the risk-benefit ratio especially in states where new infections are very low. For example, there have been only 213 deaths in Hong Kong and just over 12,000 cases of Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic, with less than 10 cases a day since April. In the US, on the other hand, there was a significant impact on the pediatric population: more than 63,000 children were hospitalized with Covid from August 2020 to October 2021 and at least 520 died and more than 4,000 were diagnosed with post Covid multisystem inflammatory syndrome.
In the states where Covid has almost disappeared, therefore, the decision was made why The risk of myocarditis, although rare, was estimated to outweigh the benefit of full vaccination for adolescents
.
With Covid, myocarditis is even more frequent
however, it is much more common to have one miocardite post Covid compared to the post vaccine: according to an analysis also conducted in the US by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hospitalized Covid patients have an average risk 16 times higher to develop inflammation of the heart muscle compared to non-infected people e 4 times higher the risk you run after vaccination. The other problem that arises regarding the administration of a single dose on the effectiveness of the same: protection with a single dose of vaccine that is neither high nor long-lasting, especially with the Delta variant prevalent worldwide, and there are no specific studies linking adolescents vaccinated with a single dose with the risks of infection compared to the chances of having myocarditis.
October 11, 2021 (change October 11, 2021 | 11:25)
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