Summarised by Centrist
According to Dr F. Perry Wilson of Yale School of Medicine myocarditis may occur after both COVID infection and vaccination. However it seems that the outcomes are very different.
“Post-vaccine myocarditis has better outcomes than conventional myocarditis, and post-infection myocarditis has similar outcomes to conventional myocarditis,” he says.
A study published in JAMA examined myocarditis cases in France, comparing those linked to COVID infection, vaccination, and conventional causes. It was found that individuals with post-vaccine myocarditis were generally younger, healthier, and had better outcomes compared to those with conventional myocarditis.
In contrast, myocarditis following a COVID infection had outcomes similar to conventional cases, suggesting that the infection itself may pose a greater risk than the vaccine.
Dr Wilson acknowledges that myocarditis is a rare outcome, occurring in a small percentage of individuals. However, he notes that the fear of this condition can skew public perception. “Myocarditis is scary. And, like shark attacks, we behave as if the outcome is more likely to happen than it really is,” he says.
