US warns Pfizer, Moderna vaccine recipients to watch for enlarged heart symptoms

Washington: The US government continues to recommend coronavirus vaccinations for everyone 12 years of age and older, albeit with a new warning to watch for symptoms of an enlarged heart reported by a fraction of people receiving the Pfizer or Moderna inoculation, the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention said.

"The known and potential benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the known and potential risks, including the possible risk of myocarditis or pericarditis [enlarged heart]. Also, most patients with myocarditis and pericarditis who received care responded well to treatment and rest and quickly felt better," the CDC said in a press release on Wednesday.

The release, however, urged vaccine recipients to "be on the lookout for any of the following symptoms: chest pain; shortness of breath; feelings of having a fast-beating, fluttering, or pounding heart" and to seek medical care if any of the symptoms occur following the first or second jab.

The US Food and Drug Administration is expected to add similar warnings accompanying both vaccines, according to media reports.

The CDC release was issued following a day in which the agency's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) began reviewing reports of myocarditis connected with the two vaccines - the most detailed data coming from the Israeli Health Ministry, according to one presentation.