Understanding the 'New' COVID Vaccine Myocarditis Warnings
Have you seen the new COVID vaccine myocarditis warnings that anti-vaccine influencers have been laundering across their social media accounts and websites?
Of course, it is all overblown.
Understanding the ‘New’ COVID Vaccine Myocarditis Warnings
The first thing to understand is that the ‘new’ safety update from the FDA mostly rehashed an old safety update.
While Vinay Prasad is making a very big of updating the COVID vaccine safety labeling, warning of an increased risk of myocarditis, he neglects to mention that the FDA has required COVID vaccines to carry a warning since way back in 2021.
A warning that the FDA removed from its website on May 31, 2025!
Why?
To help push along the narrative that ‘they’ were hiding risks of COVID vaccines.
COVID vaccines that reduce your much higher risk of myocarditis after a natural COVID infection, something that Vinay Prasad never mentions.
“Based on analyses of commercial health insurance claims data from inpatient and outpatient settings, the estimated unadjusted incidence of myocarditis and/or pericarditis during the period 1 through 7 days following administration of the 2023-2024 Formula of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines was approximately 8 cases per million doses in individuals 6 months through 64 years of age and approximately 27 cases per million doses in males 12 through 24 years of age.”
FDA Approves Required Updated Warning in Labeling of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Regarding Myocarditis and Pericarditis Following Vaccination
Much higher than the 27 cases per million seen in teens and young adults.
“Follow-up information on cardiovascular outcomes in hospitalized patients who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 vaccine-associated myocarditis is available from a longitudinal retrospective observational study. Most of these patients had received a two-dose primary series of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine prior to their diagnosis. In this study, at a median follow-up of approximately 5 months post-vaccination, persistence of abnormal cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) findings that are a marker for myocardial injury was common. The clinical and prognostic significance of these CMR findings is not known.”
FDA Approves Required Updated Warning in Labeling of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Regarding Myocarditis and Pericarditis Following Vaccination
Even with the idea of subclinical myocarditis or persistent findings of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) on cardiovascular MRI tests (with unclear clinical significance), the benefits of COVID vaccination still outweigh the rare risks.
It is silly to suggest otherwise, and dangerous to limit who can now get COVID vaccines.
“SARS-CoV-2 infection can leave some people with heart problems, including inflammation of the heart muscle. In fact, one study showed that 60% of people who recovered from COVID-19 had signs of ongoing heart inflammation, which could lead to the common symptoms of shortness of breath, palpitations and rapid heartbeat. This inflammation appeared even in those who had had a mild case of COVID-19 and who had no medical issues before they got sick.”
Long COVID: Long-Term Effects of COVID-19
After all, the risks after a natural COVID infection aren’t limited to the higher risk of myocarditis!
There is also the risk of hospitalization, death, MIS-C, and long COVID, etc.
Risks that can be reduced if you get an updated COVID vaccine.
References
FDA Approves Required Updated Warning in Labeling of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Regarding Myocarditis and Pericarditis Following Vaccination https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/safety-availability-biologics/fda-approves-required-updated-warning-labeling-mrna-covid-19-vaccines-regarding-myocarditis-and
Benefits of COVID-19 Vaccination Outweigh the Rare Risk of Myocarditis, Even in Young Males https://www.factcheck.org/2022/03/scicheck-benefits-of-covid-19-vaccination-outweigh-the-rare-risk-of-myocarditis-even-in-young-males/
Evidence suggests myocarditis risk after Covid-19 vaccination is lower compared to Covid infection https://fullfact.org/health/covid-vaccine-myocarditis-false/
RFK Jr. Misleads About Safety of COVID-19 Vaccine in Children https://www.factcheck.org/2025/05/rfk-jr-misleads-about-safety-of-covid-19-vaccine-in-children/
Study Largely Confirms Known, Rare COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects https://www.factcheck.org/2024/02/study-largely-confirms-known-rare-covid-19-vaccine-side-effects/
Top F.D.A. Official Overrode Scientists on Covid Shots https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/02/health/fda-covid-vaccines.html
Long COVID: Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/covid-long-haulers-long-term-effects-of-covid19
Myocarditis study misrepresented to fuel vaccine claim https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck/myocarditis-study-misrepresented-to-fuel-vaccine-claim/
Update on CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Monitoring https://www.cdc.gov/acip/downloads/slides-2025-06-25-26/04-Meyer-COVID-508.pdf
FACT CHECK: "A warning that the FDA removed from its website on May 31, 2025!"
There is no evidence that this is true.
Here are the facts as I have been able to ascertain them:
The FDA has included a warning about the risk of myocarditis and pericarditis following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination since June 2021.
On June 25, 2025, the FDA issued an updated and expanded warning, which incorporated new data from insurance claims and cardiac MRI studies.
There is no evidence that the FDA removed the myocarditis warning from its website or labeling at any point between 2021 and 2025.
The updated 2025 warning replaces and builds upon the 2021 warning; it does not erase or contradict it.
Unfortunately the antivaxxers have elevated their Covid quacks to godlike status and pay no attention to facts.