Heart condition in some young people linked to vaccine

Some teenagers and young adults who received COVID-19 vaccines experienced heart inflammation, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory group said, recommending further study of the rare condition.

Bryan Wood reports.

Top U.S. health officials recommended further study into a rare heart condition possibly linked to COVID-19 vaccines.

A statement dated May 17 from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said some teens and young adults, mostly male, had developed an inflammation of the heart muscle called myocarditis after receiving their vaccine.

The CDC added that the condition often goes away on its own and the number of cases so far have not been cause for major concern.

They did not say how many people had been affected, but said cases typically occurred within four days after receiving mRNA vaccines, without specifying which.

The U.S. granted emergency authorization to two mRNA vaccines - from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech.

In April, Israel's Health Ministry started examining similar cases tied to Pfizer's vaccine.

It has yet to draw any conclusions, though most of the cases in Israel were reported among young adults under the age of 30.

Pfizer at the time said it had not found a causal link.

Neither Pfizer nor Moderna responded immediately to requests for comment on Saturday.