People aged 75 and over do not have an increased risk of heart attack, stroke or pulmonary embolism when vaccinated with Pfizer-BioNTech serum.
- In France, 79% of people over 75 have received both doses of the vaccine.
- The vaccine reduces the risk of severe disease by 87% in people over 75, seven days after the second dose.
- However, among those who died of Covid-19, 79% were over 75 years old.
The Cominarty vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech does not cause an increased risk of serious cardiovascular events for people aged 75 and over, according to a report by the Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM). Whether it is myocardial infarction, stroke or pulmonary embolism, there is no increased risk after vaccination, whatever the dose. These results were obtained as part of a study, carried out by EPI-PHARE, a scientific interest group which brings together the ANSM and the National Health Insurance Fund, from December 2020.
Non-significant differences
“Pfizer-BioNTech’s Comirnaty vaccine was the first and most widely used in this population“, recalls a communicated from the ANSM. In total, the study involved nearly 30,000 people, all of whom were hospitalized following one of the cardiovascular events mentioned above. Not all were vaccinated. “The 14-day periods following the 1st dose and the 2nd dose of the vaccine were considered as risk periods, and all other periods as control periods. explain the researchers. Then, they compared the frequency of occurrence of cardiovascular problems according to the period and according to the profiles. “Overall, the frequency of occurrence of cases of hospitalization for myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke or pulmonary embolism in people aged 75 years and older did not differ significantly between the 14 days following the first dose or the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the control periods”, say the researchers. In short, these serious cardiovascular events are not more frequent in vaccinated people over 75 years of age.
More studies to come
“Once the information is available, analyzes will be continued to measure these risks, particularly in people with a history of cardiovascular events, in populations of younger subjects, and also for other anti-COVID-19 vaccines.“, point out the authors of the study. Pfizer BioNtech’s serum is also administered to people aged 18 to 54, those over 55 and young people aged 12 to 17.
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