For some parents, rare cases of heart inflammation called myocarditis or pericarditis in children and young adults who have received the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines have been reason enough not to have their children vaccinated. But new data shows the risk of this rare complication is much higher for those who catch the virus than for those who get the shots.
Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle, while pericarditis is inflammation of the heart’s outer lining. Both are caused by the body’s immune system in response to an infection or some other trigger.
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