A new study published by JAMA Pediatrics found adolescents were seven times more likely to be hospitalized for myocarditis after receiving a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
The researchers in Hong Kong found an incidence of 39 cases of myocarditis per 100,000 inhabitants. That means that for every 2,563 teens vaccinated with two doses, one was hospitalized for myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle.
The study, published Feb. 25, argued that vaccination policy “for adolescents should consider the trade-off between risks and benefits.”
“Among the 343, 700 adolescents in Hong Kong, no COVID-19-related death has been reported, and the only one admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit due to COVID-19 was an imported case, indicating that the risk of death or complications from COVID-19 is extremely low among adolescents in Hong Kong.”
JAMA Pediatrics is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Medical Association.
The authors noted that case of myocarditis “following the second dose of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine are accruing worldwide, especially in younger male adults and adolescents.”
“In weighing the risk of myocarditis against the benefit of preventing severe COVID-19, Norway, the UK, and Taiwan have suspended the second dose of mRNA vaccine for adolescents. Similarly, adolescents (aged 12-17 years) in Hong Kong have been recommended to receive 1 dose of [the Pfizer vaccine] instead of 2 doses 21 days apart since September 15, 2021.”
The cohort study found 43 adolescents in Hong Kong had been hospitalized for myocarditis after receiving the Pfizer vaccine. Significantly, (continued)
This post originally appeared on WND News Center.
