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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Are cases of myocarditis resulting from COVID-19 vaccines common?

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

By Lisa Freedland

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Very few cases of myocarditis, or heart inflammation, have been observed as a side effect from a COVID-19 vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control says its recent recommendation to lengthen the period between vaccine doses may reduce the already rare side effect.

The cases haven't affected advice from U.S. health authorities that anyone 5 years or older should get fully vaccinated. People who get sick from COVID-19 are actually at a higher risk of contracting myocarditis, and a more severe case, they note.

The CDC estimates the incidence of COVID-19 vaccine-related myocarditis at 0.48 cases per 100,000. An estimated 1-10 cases per 100,000 occur regardless of vaccination status.

A study conducted between December 2020 and August 2021 reported 1,991 cases among 192.4 million vaccinated individuals.

Among cases, "the great majority...were mild and resolved on their own," according to VCU Health, a Virginia medical center.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Centers for Disease Control Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines Currently Approved or Authorized in the United States

Johns Hopkins Medicine Is the COVID-19 Vaccine Safe?

University of Utah Health Myocarditis: a rare occurrence following COVID-19 vaccination

Centers for Disease Control Myopericarditis following COVID-19 vaccination: Updates from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)

New England Journal of Medicine Myocarditis after Covid-19 Vaccination in a Large Health Care Organization

JAMA Network Myocarditis Cases Reported After mRNA-Based COVID-19 Vaccination in the US From December 2020 to August 2021

VCU Health COVID-19 vaccine and heart patients: An expanded Q/A

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Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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About fact briefs published on Gigafact

Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.