Myocarditis caused by Covid vaccines is less severe than that caused by Covid, according to a new study

French people vaccinated against Covid who developed myocarditis (an inflammation of the heart) following this vaccination generally recovered more quickly than if they had contracted myocarditis due to a Covid infection. This is the result of the new study conducted by Epi-phare, a group of researchers commissioned by the Health Insurance and the Medicines Safety Agency, published in the American medical journal JAMA.

During the pandemic, France experienced an increase in myocarditis, inflammation of the heart, caused either by Covid itself or, this was one of the very rare possible side effects, by a messenger RNA vaccine, Pfizer or Moderna.

With about 560 cases for 54 million people vaccinated in total, the occurrence of myocarditis has mainly affected healthy young men. These patients were followed by epidemiologists from the Epi-phare group, of which Professor Mahmoud Zureik is director. “The vast majority recover, but there are about 6% who develop a cardiovascular complication, myocarditis, heart failure or cardiomyopathy within 18 months after the first hospitalization.”

Among patients with myocarditis following a Covid infection, 12% develop complications, i.e. double. For researchers, this confirms the interest of the vaccine for this age group of under 50s. “There were 1,100 deaths in this age group among the unvaccinated”recalls Professor Mahmoud Zureik. Vaccination, with an effectiveness of around 90%, has saved around 160,000 lives in France, according to recent modeling.