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CDC reveals how to really lower the risk of myocarditis from the COVID-19 vaccine

A longer wait time between Pfizer and Moderna doses may reduce rare myocarditis

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A member of the Philadelphia Fire Department prepares a dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

A member of the Philadelphia Fire Department prepares a dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination site setup in Philadelphia, on March 26, 2021. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said younger males should wait longer between their COVID-19 vaccine doses in order to lower the risk of heart inflammation.

Matt Rourke, Associated Press

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said younger males should wait longer between their COVID-19 vaccine doses in order to lower the risk of heart inflammation.

The news: The CDC said men 12 to 39 years old should wait eight weeks between their first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine regimen, according to CNBC.

  • This comes after public health authorities in Canada discovered the risk of the rare myocarditis was lower among young men who waited eight weeks between shots.

Yes, but: Right now, individuals are asked to wait three weeks between Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine shots and four weeks between Moderna shots, according to the CDC.

Why it matters: Several reports over the last two years have pointed to myocarditis as a rare side effect of the COVID-19 vaccine, as I wrote for the Deseret News. Researchers have been searching for links between the vaccine and myocarditis issues.

  • Per The Hill, Israel’s Health Ministry said “the cases typically occurred after the second dose, where patients would develop mild illness, chest pains, shortness of breath and rapid heart palpitations.”

More wait time: The CDC has also recently changed the wait time between the first two shots and booster shots, according to NBC Chicago.

  • Per NBC Chicago, the CDC changed the wait time for “moderately-to-severely” immunocompromised patients from five months to three months.