Join ACSH directors of bio-sciences and medicine Cameron English and Dr. Chuck Dinerstein as they break down these stories on episode 12 of the Science Dispatch podcast:
Surgeons are frequently impatient, “never letting the skin get in the way of the problem.” One of my colleagues repeatedly asks God, "Please give me patience right away.” That seems to be the case for us that are not scientists; we often are not patient enough for the data to unfold; the data, in this case, some reliable findings on the incidence of myocarditis and pericarditis associated with the COVID vaccinations.
One of our readers commented on the original article Dr. Dinerstein wrote. His concern was the tradeoff between benefit and harm in this particular group. Here are the numbers Dr. Dinerstein referred to during the podcast:
- From the current CDC data, approximately 10% of this age group (12-29) develops a COVID infection.
- The Moderna vaccine results in 300 cases of myocarditis out of 100,000 vaccinations.
- The Pfizer vaccine results in 59 cases of myocarditis out of 100,000 vaccinations.
Consider the same population, again with one million individuals.
10% will develop COVID = 100,000
The overall attack rate for myocarditis in patients with COVID is 0.146%. 146 will develop myocarditis
In the data presented in the article, you were seven times more likely to develop myocarditis if unvaccinated. So of the 146 who have COVID and myocarditis, seven-eighths are unvaccinated = 129, and 17 have been vaccinated.
So here are the final numbers.
- The unvaccinated with COVID = 129 cases of myocarditis
- Those vaccinated with Moderna = 300 + 17 = 317
- Those vaccinated with Pfizer = 59 + 17 = 76
By the numbers, your chance of developing myocarditis is less when vaccinated with Pfizer’s vaccine, hence the recommendation.
Do biotech companies lie about the pesticide-saving benefits of genetically engineered crops? The activist group GM Watch says yes. Do they have a convincing case? Nope.
Resources discussed during this episode: Vaclav Smil's How the World Really Works
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Cameron English
Director of Bioscience
Cameron English is a writer, editor and co-host of the Science Facts and Fallacies Podcast. Before joining ACSH, he was managing editor at the Genetic Literacy Project.
