Many Texans are concerned about reports of heart inflammation in people who have received the Moderna vaccine.
The CDC recently held an emergency meeting to address unusually high reports of heart inflammation in young men who received their second dose of Pfizer's or Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine. The meeting came two weeks after the CDC announced that the number of incidents of myocarditis or pericarditis in 16-to-24-year-olds was greater than expected. Quoting the CDC website:
"Since April 2021, there have been increased reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) of cases of inflammation of the heart—called myocarditis and pericarditis—happening after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) in the United States. These reports are rare, given the number of vaccine doses administered, and have been reported after mRNA COVID-19 vaccine."
Several cases of heart inflammation have been reported in Texas. Now, health officials are concerned that the Modern vaccine is causing much higher rates of heart inflammation than previously thought. According to media reports from The Washington Post, "The CDC and FDA, through their safety monitoring, have confirmed 762 reports of myocarditis or pericarditis, according to the most recent data on the CDC website. Most cases have occurred following the second shots of the mRNA vaccines."
The Implications Of This News On Young Texans.
Pfizer and Moderna mRNA Covid-19 vaccines are commonly used in Texas. To date, 202 million doses of Pfizer and 142 million Moderna shots have been administered in the United States. And right now, 51% of Texas is fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, 29 million people in Texas have received one dose.
The CDC's investigation is focused on Canadian data that appears to show that myocarditis (heart inflammation) is more common in young individuals who received the Moderna vaccination than in those who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Males under the age of 30 appear to be likely to experience heart inflammation when given the Moderna vaccine.
If the CDC concludes that mRNA vaccines present an increased risk of heart inflammation, a recommendation could be made for young Texans to get an alternative Covid-19 vaccine. For example, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine uses an adenovirus-vector and is already recommended as safe by the CDC and FDA.
It's important to remember that a precedent for this has already been set. After all, people under 40 in the UK were recently offered an alternative vaccine to AstraZeneca when multiple reports emerged of blood clots supposedly caused by the vaccine. Since many people were concerned about the rare (but serious) side effect, officials decided to recommend different vaccines for different age groups and sexes.
The news comes as Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick blames the Democrats for low vaccination uptake amongst Africa Americans. "It's up to the Democrats, just as it’s up to the Republicans, to try to get as many people vaccinated, but we respect the fact that if people don’t want the vaccination, we’re not gonna force it on them", he said. "That’s their individual right. But in terms of criticizing the Republicans for this, we’re encouraging people to take it, but they’re doing nothing for the African American community that has a significant high number of unvaccinated people, so they need to address that."
According to figures from the Texas Department of State Health Services, African Americans account for approximately 13 percent of the state population and about 16 percent of cases, while whites and Hispanics, who account for more than 80 percent of the population, account for nearly 70 percent of cases.
Have you been vaccinated against Covid-19? Or, if not, what's preventing you from booking an appointment? Leave a comment with your thoughts.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. Please consult a doctor before making any decisions that may impact your health.