WASHINGTON, June 23, 2021 (BSS/AFP) - A panel of experts convened by the
top US health agency will hold a meeting Wednesday to review data surrounding
more than 300 confirmed cases of heart muscle inflammation among adolescents
and young adults after receiving mRNA Covid vaccines.
The committee, hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), will hear a risk-benefit analysis as researchers explore whether the
shots can cause myocarditis, as well as cases of inflammation of the heart
lining, pericarditis.
Israel first was the first country to identify a possible link.
"These cases are rare, and the vast majority have fully resolved with rest
and supportive care," said CDC director Rochelle Walensky last week ahead of
the meeting, which was initially scheduled for last Friday but postponed
because of a new public holiday.
The cases that have been confirmed were investigated following initial
reports to vaccine safety monitoring systems, and come from more than 20
million adolescents and young adults that have been vaccinated, added
Walensky.
While 300 out of 20 million is a small number, it is still likely higher
than what would otherwise be expected for the age group.
A previous meeting on the issue convened on June 10 by the Food and Drug
Administration heard that most of the cases were among young men and occurred
within a week of the second dose.
The new CDC hearing will dive deeper into updated data that has been
independently verified, rather than being self-reported.
- Mostly mild cases -
Lorry Rubin, director of pediatric infectious diseases at Cohen Children's
Medical Center told AFP: "I'm concerned, but I'd emphasize that cause and
effect has not yet been established."
He said that his own hospital had seen a few cases of adolescent males
developing chest pain a day or two after the second dose of an mRNA vaccine.
The Pfizer vaccine is currently the only shot authorized in adolescents
aged 12 and up.
"On the other hand, the cases have been relatively mild," added Rubin, with
the patients returning to normal within a few days after treatment with
medicine like ibuprofen.
Myocarditis is known to be seasonal, with higher incidence in summer months
potentially linked to enteroviruses, and is estimated to affect one per
100,000 children per year.
Even if a causal link to the vaccines is established, Rubin said it should
be weighed against the risks to children from Covid.
While children are less affected than adults, the virus has still
hospitalized more than 3,000 children in the United States over the course of
the pandemic, and led to more than 300 deaths, according to official data.
Some 2,700 people under-30 have died from Covid.
"We've actually had more kids infected with Covid that we know who have had
long term impacts, some of whom have been quite ill with cardiac symptoms in
the hospital," stressed Lee Savio Beers, president of the American Academy of
Pediatrics.
Other experts have adopted a more cautious line.
Monica Gandhi, an infectious diseases and public health expert at the
University of California San Francisco, said that the United States had gone
beyond some other countries' recommendations on vaccinating teens.
These include Germany and Israel, which only recommend vaccinating
adolescents who are at high risk, while Britain is still examining the data
and hasn't yet reached a decision.
"It's a new vaccine, it's been increasingly elevated as a concern, and all
other countries except for us have done something that errs on the side of
safety," she told AFP, adding she was holding off having her 13-year-old
child receive a second dose until she learns more.