American Warning of Rare Heart Injury After Receiving COVID Vaccines

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Friday the addition of a warning to the instructions accompanying the doses of the "Pfizer-BioNTech" and "Moderna" COVID-19 vaccines, indicating the "rare risk of myocarditis following their use." The agency stated in a statement that "for the two vaccines, a warning has been added indicating that reports of adverse effects suggest an increased risk of myocarditis, particularly after the second dose, with symptoms appearing within a few days after vaccination." More than 1,200 cases of myocarditis have been reported among approximately 300 million vaccine doses administered, according to Reuters. The infections appeared to be significantly higher among males and during the week following the second vaccine dose. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified 309 hospitalizations due to myocarditis among individuals under 30, with 295 of them discharged from the hospital. Health regulatory agencies in several countries are investigating cases of myocarditis that have been frequently observed among young individuals after receiving a dose of the "Pfizer" or "Moderna" vaccine.