So far, reports of possible serious side effects have primarily concerned the corona vaccines from Astrazeneca and Johnson & Johnson.
The Biontech / Pfizer vaccine is now being tested in Israel.
Tel Aviv - The reports of very rare but serious side effects of the vaccines against the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus continue.
Now the Covid-19 vaccine Biontech / Pfizer is also being scrutinized in Israel.
The Israeli Ministry of Health is investigating cases of myocarditis in connection with the mRNA vaccine developed in Germany.
Biontech vaccinees with myocarditis: Israel investigates "dozen of cases"
As reported by
tagesschau.de
, citing a report by the Reuters news agency, a preliminary study showed "dozens of cases" of myocarditis in more than five million people who had been vaccinated.
According to the Israeli pandemic control coordinator Nachman Ash, the myocarditis mainly occurred after the second dose.
So far it is unclear whether the number of people with inflammation of the heart muscle tissue is unusually high and whether this is related to the vaccine.
Pfizer on post-vaccination myocarditis: "No higher rate of myocarditis observed"
Whether there is a connection between the disease and the vaccine is difficult to prove because myocarditis often proceeds without complications. In addition, the heart muscle disease can be caused by a variety of viruses. A similar number of cases have also been reported in recent years. According to
tagesschau.de
, when asked by the Reuters news agency,
Pfizer said
it was "aware of Israeli observations of the disease, which have occurred predominantly in young men who received the Pfizer / Biontech vaccine."
Adverse side effects are regularly and thoroughly monitored and the company has not observed any higher rates of myocarditis than would be expected in the general population.
"There is currently no evidence that myocarditis is a risk associated with the use of the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer / Biontech," the company is quoted as saying.
Cerebral vein thrombosis after Astrazeneca vaccination - current recommendation of the PEI
Previous incidents in connection with the vaccine from the British-Swedish manufacturer Astrazeneca caused great uncertainty. In some countries, the vaccine was at least temporarily suspended due to cerebral vein thrombosis. In particular, the case of a nurse in Austria who died after the vaccination caused a stir in Germany in March. But there were also tragic cases in Germany.
Because of such blood clots (thromboses), the Astrazeneca vaccine in Germany has generally only been used in people over the age of 60 since March 31, according to the recommendation of the Paul Ehrlich Institute. Under 60-year-olds can continue to be vaccinated with it "at the discretion of the doctor and with an individual risk analysis after careful explanation". Cases of thrombosis also occurred in those vaccinated with the vaccine from the manufacturer Johnson & Johnson, which was later approved. However, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) had given the green light again for both vector vaccines after a review. According to the EMA experts, the benefits of vaccination clearly outweigh the risks.
(va)
