Moderna vaccine linked to threefold higher risk of heart inflammation

Widely considered ‘safe and effective’, Covid vaccines are the most potent weapon you can add to your arsenal of protection against coronavirus. But just like any medication, Covid jabs are also linked to possible side and adverse effects. While not everyone experiences unwanted effects, new research sheds light on which Covid vaccine is linked to the highest risk of heart inflammation.There’s no doubt that all of the leading health bodies, including the NHS and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, agree that Covid jabs are not only safe but they also reduce your risk of serious illness and death from COVID-19.What’s more, all of the approved vaccines have been through several stages of rigorous clinical trials before they were approved for use.While they can cause certain side effects, just like any other medicine you take, not everyone develops them, the NHS explains.One of the more daunting problems linked both to an ongoing Covid infection and the vaccine is heart inflammation.READ MORE: Acholic stools are ‘the most common’ sign of pancreatic cancer in ‘initial’ stages Covid vaccine: Moderna linked to ‘threefold’ higher risk of heart inflammation. (Image: GETTY)Whether that’s inflammation of the heart muscle known as myocarditis, inflammation of the lining around your heart known as pericarditis or combination of both dubbed as myopericarditis.Now, new research, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, found that the occurrence of these three conditions is ‘two- to threefold higher’ after a second dose of the Moderna Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine compared to the Pfizer jab.The study also showed that males younger than 40 years old who received the Moderna jab seem to experience the highest rates of myocarditis.The research team penned that this may have implications for choosing specific vaccines for certain populations.DON’T MISS  There were a total of 59 myocarditis and 41 pericarditis cases in the study. (Image: GETTY) “[The study] should help put to rest ‘vaccine hesitancy’.” (Image: GETTY)A spokesperson for Moderna, added: ‘As noted by the lead author, the self-limiting and mild nature of most myocarditis events, benefits provided by vaccination, higher effectiveness of the Moderna vaccine against infection and hospitalisation [found in prior studies], and the apparent higher risk of myocarditis following COVID-19 infection than with mRNA vaccination, are key implications for consideration.   ‘Patient health and ensuring the safety of our vaccines is Moderna’s top priority. ‘Moderna shares all adverse events data with regulators and has a robust pharmacovigilance function, ensuring any adverse events are recorded and shared with the regulator in line with local regulations.’Furthermore, Guy Witberg, a cardiologist at Rabin Medical Center in Petah-Tikva, Israel, concluded that this data should be ‘reassuring for vaccine safety’ since it provides further information that myocarditis is a very rare adverse event after both vaccines”[The study] should help put to rest ‘vaccine hesitancy’ due to concerns over cardiac adverse events,” he said.