TAMPA, Fla. — Our Verify team is helping you get the facts and dispel misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines. We saw this post on the website Medical Kidnap — a site that aims to expose stories about kids who are medically kidnapped.
The claim
"Teens 50 times More Likely to Have Heart Disease After COVID Shots than All Other FDA Approved Vaccines in 2021 Combined – CDC Admits True but Still Recommends It."
Sources
We checked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and USF Health's Dr. Jill Roberts.
The CDC says inflammation of the heart known as myocarditis has been reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, called VAERS. Those reports following a shot of Pfizer or Moderna's COVID Vaccine were more likely to be from males and young adults following a second dose. Most patients recovered quickly after receiving care. Dr. Roberts says while there is a risk of myocarditis, the problem with the headline is that anything that happens following vaccination can be reported to VAERS, but the raw data needs to be verified.
“You'll go into those and say, 'you know, since the receipt of the COVID vaccine, there have been 310 deaths.' So, then when you take a closer look at those 310 deaths, you'll find out that they're all homicides, suicide and accidents. None of them had anything to do whatsoever with the vaccine. But, they were reported there because they were deaths that appeared post-vaccination. So VAERS data that is unanalyzed and unverified is essentially useless,” Dr. Roberts said.
The Answer
This headline that kids are “50 Times More Likely to Have Heart Disease” is false.
Dr. Roberts points out the CDC did a risk-benefit analysis for the vaccines There were 40 cases of myocarditis out of 1 million shots. That's why doctors continue to recommend young people get vaccinated, saying the benefits outweigh the risks of any potential side effects.
There are two working groups going through all the data for the independent panel that recommends vaccines called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The ACIP and the American Academy of Pediatrics are also recommending children get vaccinated.