CDC probing reports of heart inflammation from 2nd doses

THOSE IN THE AGE GROUP OF 16 TO 24 YEARS, TOTALLING 275 SO FAR, HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY THE PFIZER OR MODERNA VACCINE

US health officials are investigating what appear to be higher than expected reports of heart inflammation in male teens and young adults after they get a second dose of the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines.

It’s not clear if the heart inflammation is caused by the shots and the reports still are rare, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of May 31, the agency had 275 preliminary reports of such inflammation in 16 to 24-yearolds, CDC’s Tom Shimabukuro told a government vaccine meeting on Thursday. That’s out of more than 12 million seconddose injections of the vaccines.

The cases seem to occur more often in men and in younger people, and most already have fully recovered, he said. The CDC’s vaccine advisory committee will meet on June 18 to further evaluate the possible risk.

Separately, the European Medicines Agency says it’s recommending that people who have had a rare blood vessel syndrome not be immunised with AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine. In a statement on Friday, the EU drug regulator said it reviewed cases of six people who had capillary leak syndrome after they had received a shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Delta variant 60% more transmissible: UK govt The British government said on Friday that the new Delta coronavirus variant, first found in India, is 60% more transmissible in households than the variant that forced the country to lock down in January.

New research from Public Health England “suggests that the Delta variant is associated with an approximately 60% increased risk of household transmission” compared to the Alpha variant identified in Kent, southeast England.

Separately, the easing of lockdown curbs in April helped the British economy grow, official figures showed. The office for national statistics said the economy grew by 2.3% during April.