Israeli Scientists Link Heart Inflammation Cases to Pfizer Vaccination

Israeli scientists have claimed that hundreds of cases of myocarditis (heart inflammation) in the country following the commencement of the mass vaccination drive in December 2020 were caused by Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.

According to Israel’s health ministry, 275 cases of myocarditis were reported between December 2020 and May 2021 across the country.

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148 cases were reported within a month after the start of the mass vaccination campaign. 27 cases occurred after the initial dose and 121 after the booster dose.

Most of the cases occurred in young men with underlying health conditions, particularly those aged between 16 and 19 years. All cases were classified as mild as 95% of the patients spent four days or less in the hospital.

Only 275 people out of 5 million contracted myocarditis after receiving Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. However, all of them have completely recovered from the disease without any complications.

So far, 55% of Israel’s total population has been vaccinated and the number of active Coronavirus cases in the country has decreased significantly. On Tuesday, the Israeli government completely reopened the economy and lifted all social distancing restrictions.

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On the other hand, Pfizer said that it is aware of the claims of Israeli scientists. However, no direct link has been established between its COVID-19 vaccine and myocarditis.

In an official statement, the New York-based pharmaceutical company clarified that myocarditis is often caused by viral infections and COVID-19 infections have caused the disease all over the world.

So far, more than 300 million doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine have been administered globally and the “benefit-risk profile” of the vaccine remains positive.