Governments warn of heart problems from COVID vaccines, but Twitter calls research 'unsafe'
Governments around the world are warning their citizens that COVID-19 vaccines present heart risks in some populations. But if Twitter users try to look up similar research, they may receive a warning that the information is "unsafe."
Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare "raised the alert level for 'side reactions'" to the Pfizer and Moderna two-shot mRNA vaccines on Dec. 3, according to an English translation of a report by the Japanese Kyodo News Service. Just the News couldn't find a native English version.
"Serious" symptoms of myocarditis and pericarditis are being reported among the vaccinated "more frequently in young men than usual," the wire report said. But the ministry still generally recommends vaccination because the benefits outweigh the side effects. Conservative website American Thinker flagged the news.
The heart problem figures are much higher for Moderna than for Pfizer recipients, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported. The Japanese ministry said that as of Nov. 14, for every million males who took the Moderna vaccine, 81.79 ages 10-19 and 48.76 in their 20s developed such symptoms. For Pfizer, those figures are 15.66 and 13.32.
The ministry is requiring hospitals "to report in detail incidents involving people who developed the symptoms within 28 days after being vaccinated," NHK said.
Japan's action followed that of several Nordic countries specifically against Moderna vaccines this fall, with differing age and gender restrictions, the Associated Press reported at the time.
Sweden and Norway stopped offering Moderna to all people under age 30, while Denmark only restricted those under 18. Finland followed with a more narrowly tailored restriction for males under 18.
The European Medicines Agency acknowledged as early as June that it was reviewing myocarditis cases in Israel following vaccination with Pfizer's Cominarty, the sole vaccine fully approved in the U.S. Heart problems generally started within several days of the second dose for males under 30. Similar problems were reported in Europe for "all" COVID vaccines.
The FDA added the heart-inflammation warnings to fact sheets for the mRNA vaccines around the same time.
Moderna disclosed in late October that the FDA was delaying emergency approval of its COVID vaccine for teenagers until early next year to study the heart problems reported in this age group. It won't even seek emergency use authorization to vaccinate children 6-11 until the review for older children is finished.
https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/health/governments-warn-heart-problems-covid-vaccines-twitter-calls-research-unsafe