According to a report released last week by Public Health Ontario, as of Aug. 7, there were 106 incidents of post-vaccine myocarditis and pericarditis in people under the age of 25 in Ontario.
A report released last week by Public Health Ontario (PHO) showed the incidence of heart inflammation following mRNA vaccination was significantly more prevalent in young people.
As of Aug. 7, there were 106 incidents of myocarditis and pericarditis in people under the age of 25 in Ontario –– slightly more than half of the total of all such incidents, the Toronto Sun reported.
There were 31 cases in the 12- to 17-year age group and 75 cases in 18- to 24-year-olds. Eighty percent of all cases were in males.
“The reporting rate of myocarditis/pericarditis was higher following the second dose of mRNA vaccine than after the first, particularly for those receiving the Moderna vaccine as the second dose of the series (regardless of the product for the first dose),” the report stated.
PHO added the reporting rate for heart inflammation in those 18 to 24 was seven times higher with Moderna than with Pfizer. Pfizer is currently the only vaccine authorized for use in 12- to 17-year-olds in Ontario.
In early June, PHO issued an Enhanced Surveillance Directive, requiring Public Health Units to prioritize follow-up for any reports of myocarditis or pericarditis following any COVID mRNA vaccine and to notify PHO of the report.
Since the start of the COVID immunization program in Ontario on Dec. 13, there have been a total of 314 reports of myocarditis or pericarditis following receipt of mRNA COVID vaccines.
As of Aug. 7, there had been a total of 202 emergency room visits across all age groups for heart inflammation following vaccination, with 146 leading to hospitalization. Three cases resulted in ICU admission.
The report concluded that “COVID-19 vaccines continue to be recommended and are highly effective at preventing symptomatic infection and severe outcomes from COVID-19 disease, which is also associated with a risk of myocarditis.”
Ontario’s Ministry of Health last week said there are only two valid medical exemptions from COVID-19 vaccinations — an allergic reaction to a component of the vaccine, or if an individual develops myocarditis or pericarditis after the first dose of the vaccine.
Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle that can lead to cardiac arrhythmia and death. According to researchers at the National Organization for Rare Disorders, myocarditis can result from infections, but “more commonly the myocarditis is a result of the body’s immune reaction to the initial heart damage.”
Pericarditis is often used interchangeably with myocarditis and refers to inflammation of the pericardium, the thin sac surrounding the heart.
According to the most recent data from the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) –– the primary government-funded system for reporting adverse vaccine reactions in the U.S. –– there have been 482 reports of myocarditis and pericarditis in 12- to 17-year-olds with 474 cases attributed to Pfizer’s vaccine.
There have been 4,100 total reports of myocarditis and pericarditis in all age groups with 3,194 cases attributed to Pfizer and 1,090 cases attributed to Moderna.
Citing risk of heart inflammation, UK advisory panel will not recommend COVID vaccines for healthy 12- to 15-year-olds
Britain’s vaccine advisers last week said they would not recommend vaccination of healthy 12- to 15-year-olds against COVID, preferring a precautionary approach due to the potential for vaccinated teens to develop heart inflammation, Reuters reported.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation also said children were at such a low risk from the virus that vaccines would offer only a marginal benefit.
The British government said it would consult medical advisers to look at other factors before making a final decision. The UK’s four chief medical officers have been asked to consider the wider impact on schools and society.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation did advise widening the existing vaccine program to include an extra 200,000 teenagers with specific underlying conditions, including chronic heart, lung and liver conditions that put the teens at much higher risk of COVID than healthy children.