After nearly 9 million Pfizer shots for U.S. teens, serious side effects are rare – CDC medicalxpress.com

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Among millions of U.S. teens who’ve received Pfizer’s covid vaccine shots, serious side effects have been rare, U.S health officials have said.

As of July 16, close to 9 million teens, aged 12 to 17, had received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine—the only one okayed for that age group. Among roughly 9,240 reported side effects, 91% were minor, such as soreness near the vaccination site.

But 9% were serious, with 4% developing a heart problem known as myocarditis, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday.

“Local and systemic reactions are common among adolescents following Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, especially after the second dose; however, serious adverse events after COVID-19 vaccination are rare,” said the report’s lead author, Anne Hause, a CDC epidemiologist.

Myocarditis was among the most common severe adverse events reported, she said. This is an inflammation of the heart muscle that can affect the heart’s electrical system, reducing its pumping ability and causing rapid or abnormal rhythms.

Myocarditis is usually caused by a viral infection, such as COVID-19, but can also be a reaction to a drug. Signs and symptoms include chest pain, fatigue, shortness of breath and arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythm).

While this association may sound alarming, CDC experts continue to stress the benefits of vaccination for all people aged 12 and older. The vaccine has not yet been approved for younger kids.

Getting vaccinated is better than getting COVID-19, Hause said.

“The benefits of vaccination in preventing COVID-19 and its complications continue to outweigh the potential risks of rare adverse events reported after vaccination,” she said.

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