Health officials in Israel have reported a possible link between the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and cases of myocarditis.
According to a Health Ministry report released this week, about 275 cases of the condition, which causes inflammation of the heart muscle, were found among more than 5 million vaccinated people. The group with the most cases of myocarditis were men between 16-30 years old. About 95% of the cases were classified as mild, and those who were in the hospital were generally not there for more than four days.
Last week, the European Medicines Agency had reported that rates heart inflammation were similar to the general public — a sentiment that has been echoed by Pfizer. And the U.S. CDC has already launched an advisory group to study a potential link between mRNA vaccines and myocarditis.
In Israel, which has had one of the most successful vaccine rollouts in the world, about 55% of the population has been inoculated. The country’s Health Ministry is expected to expand eligibility there to 12- to 15-year-olds.
