Heart inflammation link to Pfizer and Moderna jabs

[Eugene]

Related: Comirnaty and Spikevax: possible link to very rare cases of myocarditis and pericarditis (European Medicines Agency)

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Source: BBC

Heart inflammation link to Pfizer and Moderna jabs

By James Gallagher
Health and science correspondent

9 July 2021

Heart inflammation is a "very rare" side-effect of the Covid vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna, according to regulators in Europe.

The European Medicines Agency said the side-effects were more common in younger men.

The medicines safety body said the benefits of Covid vaccines continue to far outweigh any risks.

But doctors and patients have been advised to be aware of the symptoms of heart inflammation.

-snip-

The EMA analysis of cases found:

• Pfizer-BioNTech - 145 cases of myocarditis and 138 cases of pericarditis out of 177m doses given
• Moderna - 19 case of myocarditis and 19 cases of pericarditis out of 20 million doses given

Five people died. The review said they were all either elderly or had other health conditions.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-57781637

[Mme. Defarge]

1. So Pfizer is safer than Moderna?

[Eugene]

2. Pfizer is a much bigger sample than Moderna.

1 out of ~625000 (Pfizer)
1 out of ~526000 (Moderna)

Comparing very small numbers in such differing samples may not be statistically valid.

[GopherGal]

3. If my quick run of the numbers is right...

The difference between the proportions is not statistically significant. (Fraction with one of the conditions is 1.6 in one million for Pfizer and 1.9 in one million for Moderna; p-value of the comparison is 0.36, must be