More Vaccine Complications

We have warned of the dangers of unforeseen consequences inherent in medical therapies and procedures that have not been thoroughly tested.  All COVID vaccines are in this category since they are only available in the U.S. are under Emergency Use Authorization.  None has been approved by the FDA.  

Information about vaccine complications is slowly emerging.  First, we learned of the 10x higher incidence of anaphylaxis from mRNA vaccines compared to other vaccine types.  Then we learned of a new clotting disorder caused by vaccine called VITT.   Last week, the FDA required a new statement in Pfizer and Moderna Factsheets for Healthcare Providers warning that certain cardiac disorders, including myocarditis and pericarditis, may be caused by mRNA vaccines.  

In the pathology world, adding “-itis” to the end of a word simply means inflammation.  So, myocarditis is inflammation of muscle (“myo-”) of the heart (“card”), and pericarditis is inflammation of the sac around (“peri-”) the heart.  By themselves these words are vague and do not say what that inflammation means to a person.  Myocarditis can be mild and go away on its own, or it can be severe and cause the heart to stop beating.  Similarly, mild pericarditis is a common finding in many disease processes, but pericarditis can become so severe that it restricts the movement of the heart, a condition called “cardiac tamponade” which can be deadly. 

These vaccine complications tend to occur in young people who receive mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna, but not Janssen), especially when there is an underlying cardiac condition.  The trouble is that this vaccine complication may be the first sign of an underlying cardiac condition, since “in this younger population, coronary events are less likely to be a source of these symptoms.”  Does this make the vaccine unsafe for adolescents and young adults?  The CDC says no; I’m not so sure.  

It’s noteworthy that none of these complications—not anaphylaxis, not VITT, and not inflammatory heart conditions—were included in data submitted to FDA for initial authorization.  We are learning as we go. Quite literally, if you take a COVID vaccine, you are part of a study of the long-term effects of that vaccine on humans.  There may be compelling reasons for a person to take a vaccine, ranging from personal health benefits to scientific altruism.  But just as compelling may be the reasons a person chooses not to take a vaccine.  We should not coerce these decisions, we should not ridicule these decisions, and we should not penalize individuals for these decisions.  

We simply don’t know all the long-term consequences of the COVID vaccines.  But if history is any guide, there will be unintended consequences that may make the “smart people” of today look foolish in the future.