Given the disgraceful misinformation campaign by government bureaucrats, politically-connected “experts,” and the media related to covid policies and the vaccine rollout, Americans are extremely mistrustful of the latest narratives related to both issues.
This week, there has been a great deal of attention being given to a study done in Basel, Switzerland, that was pre-printed last year and officially published this month. It indicates that the rate of subclinical myocarditis (heart inflammation without symptoms) after the COVID vaccine is much higher than originally thought. I think it’s worthwhile looking under the hood of this paper for a few moments.
I would like to focus on the research methods and conclusions:
Hospital employees scheduled to undergo mRNA-1273 booster vaccination were assessed for mRNA-1273 vaccination-associated myocardial injury, defined as acute dynamic increase in high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) concentration above the sex-specific upper-limit of normal on day 3 (48-96h) after vaccination without evidence of an alternative cause. [Summary: The researchers are going to look at cardiac enzymes 3 days after a booster shot. Elevated levels would be suggestive of a mild case of myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle].To explore possible mechanisms, antibodies against IL-1RA, the SARS-CoV2-Nucleoprotein(NP) and -Spike(S1) proteins and an array of 14 inflammatory cytokines were quantified. [Summary: The researchers are to look to see if there is evidence of other infections, which could impact the heart muscle, to eliminate them as a possible explanation for any myocarditis observed.] Among 777 participants, median age 37 years, 69.5% women, 40 participants(5.1% [95%CI, 3.7-7.0%]) had elevated hs-cTnT concentration on day 3 and mRNA-1273 vaccine-associated myocardial injury was adjudicated in 22 participants (2.8% [95%CI, 1.7-4.3%]). [Summary: Between 3.7-7.0% had elevated enzymes on day 4, and 2.8% of the participants had ” mRNA-1273 vaccine-associated myocardial injury.]Twenty cases occurred in women (3.7% [95%CI, 2.3-5.7%]), two in men (0.8% [95%CI, 0.1-3.0%]). Hs-cTnT-elevations were mild and only temporary. No patient had ECG-changes, and none developed major adverse cardiac events within 30 days (0% [95%CI, 0-0.4%]). [Summary: They took a look at the 22 patients with what was defined as ” mRNA-1273 vaccine-associated myocardial injury was adjudicated”, but no serious health effect related to the heart was reported within 30 days.]
Shortly after the pre-print of the paper was published, and an initial spate of comments related to the data made the rounds on social media, one of the “fact-check” sites offered this assessment:
First, the research didn’t include a control group that didn’t receive the booster shot. It also didn’t include a measurement of the baseline level of troponin in the blood before the vaccination. Therefore, we don’t know whether troponin levels were already elevated in some people before vaccination.Second, the data we do have show that the risk of myocarditis is higher during COVID-19 than after vaccination. It’s unclear how much the findings of Müller et al. change our current understanding of these risks. As Müller explained in the Basel University interview, the study didn’t use the same method to investigate the incidence of myocarditis in COVID-19 patients. Therefore, there’s not enough information to compare COVID-19 patients with vaccinated people.What these results essentially tell us is that using a more sensitive approach for detecting myocarditis leads researchers to detect more myocarditis cases, which is as expected. It is plausible that using the same approach in patients with COVID-19 would also increase the number of detected myocarditis cases and as a result lead researchers to report a much higher incidence of COVID-19-associated myocarditis.
It is important to take valid critiques seriously. With no baseline data, there is really no real way to gauge the magnitude of the elevation post-booster vaccination. And it may have been useful to get the troponin levels in a control group as well.
What this study does is provide some indications that there is an impact on the heart at a subclinical level in some people, and potentially at a rate far higher than the 1 out of 100,000 cases asserted by our Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in their study (hat-tip David Strom of Hot Air). More studies would be needed to get a better understanding of the magnitude of the enzyme increases and individual factors that may make people more susceptible to the effect.
However, the effect appears to be more substantial than the CDC revealed, and that is troubling, given the covid mandate and the millions who have received the vaccines, boosters, and then even more boosters. People need to be given all the potential effect information and allowed to decline the vaccine, given these findings and understanding of the mildness of the current versions covid. Personal choice must replace mandates.
But what is even more intriguing is what the Swiss decided to say about covid vaccines in April.
Switzerland will not recommend a COVID-19 vaccine for its citizens during the spring and summer seasons, even for those at high risk of experiencing severe illness from contracting the virus.The country’s latest recommendation regarding COVID-19 vaccinations and booster shots came directly from the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), which declared most people in the country had either already been vaccinated “and/or contracted and recovered from COVID-19″ at this point.”Their immune system has therefore been exposed to the coronavirus,” the FOPH insisted in its guidance, adding that “in spring/summer 2023, the virus will likely circulate less.”
According to the Swiss, it’s natural immunity for the win. That’s the data point that is more important, in my opinion.
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