US CDC Reports 8 Cases of Myocarditis Symptoms Among 5-11 Year-Old Children Vaccinated with Pfizer

CDC "8 Children Aged 5-11 Show Myocarditis Symptoms After Pfizer Vaccine"
However, No Mention of Causality
Five European Countries Approve Children's Vaccination on the 15th

On the afternoon of the 16th, a "School-based Vaccination Program" was held in the auditorium of a middle school in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, where students wishing to be vaccinated received the COVID-19 vaccine. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] It has been revealed that some children who received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine showed symptoms of myocarditis.

On the 16th (local time), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that 8 children aged 5 to 11 who received the COVID-19 vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer and German BioNTech developed myocarditis.

However, the CDC did not clearly specify the causal relationship between the Pfizer vaccine administration and the onset of myocarditis, nor the incidence rate of myocarditis in the same age group who did not receive the vaccine.

At the time the CDC compiled the related data, it was reported that over 7 million doses had been administered to children aged 5 to 11. Among these, 5.1 million were first doses, and 2 million were second doses. Vaccination for this age group was approved in the U.S. on the 2nd of this month.

Meanwhile, in South Korea, vaccination for adolescents aged 12 to 17 is underway, and approval for vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 is under discussion.

On the 7th, Hong Jeong-ik, head of the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Team’s Vaccination Management Division, said at a back briefing regarding vaccination for children, "There must be sufficient investigation such as expert consultation, research projects, and surveys of parents’ intentions to decide whether to proceed with vaccination, similar to the preparation for vaccination of children and adolescents aged 12 to 17," adding, "It is expected to take time until a decision is made."

In Europe, due to concerns over the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, COVID-19 vaccination for children aged 5 to 11 began on the 15th. According to AFP reports on the same day, five European countries?Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, and Spain?have approved vaccination for children.