No youth heart complications from vaccines reported here

LIHU‘E — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recently reported a few cases of teens with heart inflammation after receiving COVID-19 vaccines.

The report said that myocarditis (heart inflammation) happens predominately in teens and young adults. It can happen more often in boys than in girls; more often in following dose two of the vaccine than after dose one, and typically within four days after vaccination.

State Department of Health Director Dr. Libby Char said her team is watching the development very carefully, and added that she doesn’t know of any cases yet in Hawai‘i, as of Tuesday.

“What we do know is that you can definitely get a post-viral myocarditis from COVID itself,” Char said. “The question is whether or not the vaccine is contributing to any of that, and my understanding thus far is that the numbers are no different between a normal year of people getting myocarditis versus what we’re seeing now.”

The CDC is studying any cases that they’re seeing of myocarditis to see if there could be a link

As keiki 12 and up are have been able to receive their first or second doses of vaccine these past two months, keiki who are under 12 years old may have to wait longer as the vaccines are being tested.

With clinical trials already starting for that age group for Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, Char estimated the vaccines may be available for children 12 and under by the end of the year or early next year.

“When you get into the younger children, and they’re much smaller body weights, so they’re having to also entertain different doses of the vaccine to see what’s effective, and then do the trials,” said Char.