The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that males ages 12 to 39 can extend the time between the first and second doses of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine to mitigate the relatively low risk of developing myocarditis.
The agency announced on Tuesday that male patients could receive the second shot eight weeks after the first, instead of waiting, as previously advised, three weeks in the case of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine or four weeks in the case of the Moderna vaccine. The CDC urged men to take caution about myocarditis, the rare cardiac episode which causes inflammation of the heart muscle that can reduce the heart’s ability to pump and cause arrhythmias. While the risk exists, the top public health agency insists the condition is rare.
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“Some studies in adolescents (ages 12-17 years) and adults have shown the small risk of myocarditis associated with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines might be reduced, and peak antibody responses and vaccine effectiveness may be increased with an interval longer than 4 weeks,” the updated guidance said.
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, its panel of vaccine experts, convened earlier this month to weigh the benefits and risks of widening the time interval between doses for the male 12-39 age group.
“Months late, but good to see this now as official guidance,” tweeted Dr. Walid Gellad, a professor of medicine from the University of Pittsburgh, who has been outspoken on the subject. “8-week interval may be optimal for some people between covid vax dose 1 and 2, especially for young men.”
The ACIP panel disclosed last June that “data available to date suggest likely association of myocarditis with mRNA vaccination in adolescents and young adults.”
Thus far, the CDC has received over 1,861 unverified reports of myocarditis and 1,106 reports of pericarditis, a type of cardiac inflammation that causes irritation of the thin sac-like membrane surrounding the heart, in people who received either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. The bulk of those cases was reported after the second dose.
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In a separate Israeli study measuring the instance of myocarditis in mRNA vaccine recipients, researchers concluded that of roughly 2.5 million vaccinated healthcare workers, only 10.69 cases per 100,000 occurred, primarily in men between the ages of 16 and 29. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in December 2021, found that a total of 76% of cases of myocarditis were described as mild and 22% as intermediate.
The original three- and four-week intervals are still recommended for most people, particularly seniors and those roughly 7 million people in the U.S. who have fragile immune systems.
To date, nearly 65% of people in the U.S. five and older have been fully vaccinated, while 45% of people 12 and older have gotten their booster doses. Of all COVID-19 vaccines administered so far, the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna shots account for more than 96% of those administered, according to federal data.
