Concern 5: What about the recent reports of myocarditis?

There have been reports to the voluntary Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) of inflammation of the heart muscle—called myocarditis— happening after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination. This is likely vaccine-induced myocarditis and has been observed in mostly young men after receiving their second dose of vaccine. However, the number of individuals that reported this side effect is very small compared to the hundreds of millions of people that have been vaccinated. Also, most patients who experienced myocarditis had a full recovery from symptoms. The benefits of the getting vaccinated outweigh the small risk of myocarditis.

View the facts: Six common concerns about COVID-19 vaccines.

—Nora Stelter, associate professor of pharmacy practice