COVID-19 mRNA vaccines may be 'new trigger' for heart inflammation, CDC says, but benefits outweigh risks

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now says reports of people suffering heart inflammation after being vaccinated with an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine are greater than expected and likely linked to the vaccine, but that the benefits of vaccination still outweigh any risks.

In a Wednesday presentation, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) noted that early data from its database shows a rate of 4.4 reported cases of heart inflammation per million first doses given of any mRNA vaccine in the 21 days following vaccination.

That rate jumped to 12.6 reported cases per million second doses.

The reports were