Evidence suggests Moderna and Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines may cause myocarditis, but not infertility, Guillain-Barre syndrome or Bell’s palsy, according to a new report. .

A report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine examined evidence on more than a dozen potential harms of COVID-19 vaccines after the Health Resources and Services Administration requested the creation of a committee. The report cites many of the health conditions that have fueled vaccine skepticism during the coronavirus pandemic.

Myocarditis and pericarditis (inflammation of the myocardium and the outer lining of the heart, respectively) were rarely observed after the Moderna and Pfizer shots. It is more common in young men within a week of receiving their second vaccination. Most patients respond well to the drug and recover quickly.

The committee found that there is evidence to suggest that the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines do not cause Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare condition in which a person’s own immune system attacks the body’s nerves. did. The data further suggest that the injection does not cause infertility or Bell’s palsy, which causes sudden muscle weakness on one side of the face.

There is also evidence that the shot does not cause thrombosis or heart attacks associated with thrombocytopenia syndrome (a rare blood clotting condition also known as TTS), the report said.

The report said there was insufficient evidence to confirm or deny a causal link for several potential harms, including chronic headaches, tinnitus, capillary leak syndrome and sudden death.

“Despite the tremendous amount of evidence produced by extraordinary efforts by researchers around the world, in many, if not all cases, the causality of specific potential harms from a particular COVID-19 vaccine remains unclear. “Our committee found that there was insufficient evidence to confirm or deny the relationship,” Weill Cornell University’s committee vice chair Anne Bass said in a statement.

The committee had wanted to investigate the potential harm that COVID-19 vaccines could cause to children, but found there was insufficient evidence to draw conclusions specific to particular groups.

The committee also investigated the potential harms of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, which has a limited number of studies, likely due to its limited use in the United States. he pointed out.

The report says there is evidence to suggest that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can cause TTS and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration previously suspended use of the vaccine in 2021 following reports of six cases in which individuals developed a rare and serious type of blood clot after receiving it. The agencies lifted the recommended suspension after 10 days, saying they were “confident that this vaccine is safe and effective in preventing COVID-19.” The FDA subsequently restricted its use due to the risk of TTS following the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.Shot no longer used in the United States

Bass pointed out that once a hazard is identified, it doesn’t happen often.

“Vaccine-related harms are rare,” she said.

The report comes shortly after the CDC announced that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are not associated with sudden cardiac death in previously healthy young people.

The CDC and other public health officials say coronavirus vaccines are safe for people during the pandemic, as celebrities like Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spread skepticism. I had a hard time convincing him.

Still, more than 81% of all adults have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine, according to CDC data.

“COVID-19 vaccination remains the best way to protect against serious illness,” the CDC says on its website. “The benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the known and potential risks.”