Wellington, New Zealand – The largest COVID vaccine study to date has found that the vaccine is associated with some health risks. The study, conducted by researchers from the Global Vaccine Data Network (GVDN), analyzed 99 million people who received COVID vaccinations across eight countries. The study monitored for increases in 13 different medical conditions in the period after people received a COVID vaccine.
Published in the journal Vaccine, the study identified a slight increase in neurological, blood, and heart-related medical conditions following vaccination. Specifically, certain types of mRNA vaccines were linked to a higher risk of myocarditis, which is inflammation of the heart muscle. Viral-vector vaccines were associated with a higher risk of blood clots in the brain, as well as an increased likelihood of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological disorder in which the immune system attacks the nerves.
Other potential risks included inflammation of part of the spinal cord after viral vector vaccines, and inflammation and swelling in the brain and spinal cord after viral vector and mRNA vaccines. Lead author Kristýna Faksová of the Department of Epidemiology Research, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark, emphasized the significance of the study’s large population size in identifying rare potential vaccine safety signals.
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, commented on the findings, noting that while the study reveals some rare associations between vaccines and certain health conditions, these risks are rare and the vaccine significantly decreases the risk of myocarditis from COVID itself.
Dr. Jacob Glanville, CEO of Centivax, a San Francisco biotechnology company, also emphasized that the odds of experiencing adverse events from the vaccine are much lower than the risks of being infected with COVID-19. The study is part of a broader research initiative, the Global COVID Vaccine Safety (GCoVS) Project, supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The study’s findings provide further evidence and insight into the potential risks and benefits of COVID vaccination, emphasizing the importance of carefully weighing these factors. As more than 80% of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, ongoing research and analysis of vaccine safety remains crucial.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health.