spot_img
29 C
Philippines
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Experts study vaccine-related heart muscle inflammation

- Advertisement -

An expert panel convened by the top US health agency will hold a meeting Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) to review data surrounding more than 300 confirmed cases of heart muscle inflammation among adolescents and young adults after receiving mRNA COVID vaccines.

The committee, hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will hear a risk-benefit analysis as researchers explore whether the shots can cause myocarditis, as well as cases of inflammation of the heart lining, pericarditis. 

Israel first was the first country to identify a possible link.

“These cases are rare, and the vast majority have fully resolved with rest and supportive care,” said CDC director Rochelle Walensky last week ahead of the meeting, which was initially scheduled for last Friday but postponed because of a new public holiday.

The cases that have been confirmed were investigated following initial reports to vaccine safety monitoring systems, and come from more than 20 million adolescents and young adults that have been vaccinated, added Walensky.

- Advertisement -

While 300 out of 20 million is a small number, it is still likely higher than what would otherwise be expected for the age group.

A previous meeting on the issue convened on June 10 by the Food and Drug Administration heard that most of the cases were among young men and occurred within a week of the second dose.

The new CDC hearing will dive deeper into updated data that has been independently verified, rather than being self-reported.

Faster vaccine rollouts

The Red Cross called for faster vaccine rollouts in vulnerable Pacific island nations Wednesday as a record COVID-19 surge threatens to overload Fiji’s health system.

Fiji’s two largest hospitals have been converted into dedicated COVID-19 facilities, with cases doubling every nine days since a second wave began in April. 

The situation has been a “serious wake-up call” showing the need for more urgency across the region, Red Cross Pacific chief Katie Greenwood said.

“In the Pacific, it’s a critical time to ramp up vaccinations… we can’t let our guards down,” she said.

Only about one percent of Fiji’s 930,000 population has been fully vaccinated and government health chief James Fong said community unease about inoculations was putting a strain on hospitals. 

Music festival

Britain’s music festivals face a fight for survival without further government support in the pandemic, lawmakers warned on Wednesday, as summer events are cancelled or reduced because of COVID restrictions.

The parliamentary Public Accounts Committee said in a report into government funding for the cultural sector during the pandemic that festivals and freelancers faced “devastating consequences to their survival”. 

MPs praised the allocation of a £1.57 billion ($2.1-billion) Culture Recovery Fund in July last year.

But they said festivals faced a “survival threat” unless a government-backed insurance scheme for cancelled events could be set up. AFP

- Advertisement -

LATEST NEWS

Popular Articles