Covid vaccines linked to heart damage – study
Certain Covid-19 vaccines can trigger immune responses that may inflame heart tissue and lead to potentially fatal complications in rare cases, with young men being especially susceptible, according to a new study.
The paper, authored by Stanford University researchers and published in the Science Translational Medicine journal, examined why some patients developed myocarditis or pericarditis after receiving mRNA jabs such as those produced by Pfizer and Moderna.
Researchers found that immune cells can, in some cases, recognize the foreign RNA delivered by the vaccines and mount a strong response. In rare instances, this response has led to the release of large amounts of cytokines – immune-signaling proteins that can damage heart cells.
Vaccine-associated myocarditis has occurred in about one in 140,000 people after a first dose and around one in 32,000 after a second dose, according to figures cited by The Telegraph, with incidence peaking among males aged 30 or younger.
Symptoms have included chest pain, shortness of breath, fever and palpitations, typically appearing within days of vaccination. Most patients have recovered quickly, although hospitalization and deaths have been reported in rare cases.
The findings come as the US Food and Drug Administration reportedly intends to place a “black box” warning, the agency’s most serious safety label, on Covid-19 vaccines, according to CNN. The warning would alert consumers to risks such as myocarditis and pericarditis, although the plan has not been finalized.
Covid-19 vaccines were developed and authorized rapidly after the World Health Organization declared a coronavirus pandemic in March 2020 and were later mandated in many countries. The rollout proved controversial, with critics claiming the jabs were poorly tested and that side effects posed greater risks than the virus itself.
However, scientists and regulators have maintained that Covid-19 infection carries a greater overall risk of serious illness and long-term complications than vaccination, and have stressed that the benefits of immunization outweigh the short-term risks of rare heart-related side effects.
US military plane nearly collides with passenger jet near Venezuela – media
A passenger airliner nearly collided mid-flight with a US military aircraft near the Venezuelan coast on Friday, the Associated Press and the New York Times reported, citing radio communications and flight tracking data.
The incident occurred amid a US naval buildup in the Caribbean and President Donald Trump’s threats to strike “narcoterrorists” on Venezuelan soil.
JetBlue Flight 1112 reportedly encountered a US Air Force refueling tanker while traveling from Curaçao, a small island off the coast of Venezuela, to New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Twenty minutes after takeoff, the airliner suddenly lost altitude mid-climb. “We almost had a midair collision up here,” the JetBlue pilot was quoted as saying. “They passed directly in our flight path ... They don’t have their transponder turned on; it’s outrageous.”
JetBlue spokesman Derek Dombrowski said on Sunday that the airline had reported the incident to the authorities. “Our crew members are trained on proper procedures for various flight situations, and we appreciate our crew for promptly reporting this situation to our leadership team,” he said.
US Southern Command spokesman Colonel Manny Ortiz said they were “aware of the recent reporting regarding US military aircraft operations in the Caribbean and are currently reviewing the matter.” He added that safety remained a top priority and the military was “working through the appropriate channels to assess the facts surrounding the situation.”
Since September, the US has killed more than 80 people in strikes on alleged cartel boats, which Trump claimed were being used by the Venezuelan government to “flood” the US with drugs. Venezuela has denied any involvement in drug trafficking and said the strikes were part of a “colonialist” plan to topple President Nicolas Maduro and plunder the country’s natural resources.
