Healthy Teen Males Have 4 to 6 Times Higher Risk of Vaccine Side Effects Than COVID Infection Rate

Research Results from the University of California, USA

A 12-year-old Australian boy receiving the Pfizer vaccine amid the spread of COVID-19. Not directly related to the article content.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] A study has found that healthy male adolescents are more likely to be diagnosed with myocarditis as a side effect of the Pfizer vaccine than to be hospitalized due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

On the 12th (local time), according to foreign media including the UK Guardian, Dr. Tracey Hogg's team at the University of California claimed, "Healthy adolescents may be more likely to be hospitalized due to the rare side effect of the Pfizer vaccine causing heart inflammation than from COVID-19 itself."

Dr. Hogg's research team analyzed side effects occurring after the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine in American adolescents aged 12 to 17 without underlying conditions during the first half of this year. The results showed that the likelihood of being diagnosed with vaccine-related myocarditis was 4 to 6 times higher than being hospitalized due to COVID-19.

The probability of myocarditis occurring after the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine was 162.2 cases per one million healthy male adolescents aged 12 to 15, and 94 cases per one million for those aged 16 to 17. For females in the same age groups, the numbers were 13.4 and 13 cases respectively. The researchers stated, "(In comparison) based on the current COVID-19 infection rate in the United States, the risk of healthy adolescents being hospitalized due to COVID-19 within the next 120 days is 44 per one million."

They added, "86% of teenage males who experienced side effects after vaccination required hospital treatment," and noted, "Similar side effects were observed with the Moderna vaccine."

However, this study has not yet undergone peer review. The Guardian reported, "It is unclear how reliable the data from this study is, and whether similar figures would appear under the same conditions in the UK."

They further stated, "Since myocarditis mostly occurs after the second dose, administering only the first dose could protect children while reducing the risk of side effects."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.