Israel finds 'possible link' between second Pfizer jab, heart inflammation
The Health Ministry said 275 cases of myocarditis, mostly affecting young men, were recorded among more than 5 million vaccinated people.
Israeli health officials are studying a “possible link” between the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine and heart muscle inflammation among young men, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.
“There is some probability for a possible link between the second vaccine dose and the onset of myocarditis among young men aged 16 to 30. … This link became weaker the older the vaccinated individual is,” the epidemiological panel tasked with studying the possibility of a link said in a press release.
Of more than 5 million people who were vaccinated in Israel between December 2020 and May 2021, at least 275 reported myocarditis, an illness characterized by chest pains, shortness of breath or palpitations.
Among the reported cases, 148 occurred around the time of vaccination. A majority of the myocarditis cases were observed near the time of the second dose, mostly among young men aged 16 to 19.
