NATIONWIDE —As medical leaders nationwide push for Americans to roll up their sleeves and get their COVID-19 shots, there is a growing concern among some parents after a potential link between heart ailments in young people and the vaccine.

What You Need To Know

  • CDC advisory committee will discuss reports of inflammation of the heart

  • The agency says there have been reports of inflammation, but they are rare

  • Mostly this impacts teen boys after getting their second shot; CDC says they recover quickly

The CDC's advisory committee on immunization practices will be meeting this week to talk about mRNA-based vaccines, which are the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, in teenagers and young adults. The committee is also scheduled to look at reports that some young people reported inflammation of the heart days after getting their second shot.

Known as myocarditis and pericarditis — an inflammation of the heart muscle or outer lining of the heart — the CDC stated there have been reports of this but say they are rare.

Most cases have been reported in young men 16 years old and older in the days after getting their second shot. The CDC reported most patients can quickly recover. 

Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association both still recommend getting vaccinated, saying even if there is a small risk of myocarditis after vaccination, it is heavily outweighed by the risks of getting COVID-19.

Medical leaders continue to stress that getting kids and teens vaccinated quickly must remain a priority to beat this pandemic.

“Children don’t seem to be impacted by infectious complications of COVID to the same degree as adults but they are still impacted and they can still get quite ill. If we have a safe and effective vaccine to prevent that we absolutely want to do that," said Dr. Lee Beers, medical director of Municipal and Regional Affairs of the Child Health Advocacy Institute. 

Nationwide, more than 143 million people are now fully vaccinated, that is 51% of the country ages 12 years old and up. In the Sunshine State, according to the lastest update provided by the state department of health, more than 8 million people are now fully vaccinated including a growing number of eligible children and teens. ​

The CDC’s advisory committee on immunization practices will be meeting on Friday to talk more about future plans for the vaccines.