No increase in cases of MI, stroke, and pulmonary embolism after mRNA vaccine in elderly: JAMA

France: Researchers in a recent study observed no increase in the incidence of stroke, myocardial infarction, and pulmonary embolism at 14 days following each BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech) dose. The nationwide study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), involved people aged 75 years or older in France. 

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was the first authorized SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. In the phase 3 trials, no increase in cardiovascular events were reported. However, once the vaccine was used on large scale, questions on its safety emerged because older people were underrepresented in the trials. Marie Joelle Jabagi, French National Health Insurance, Saint-Denis, France, and colleagues aimed to evaluate the short-term risk of severe cardiovascular events among French people aged 75 years or older after the administration of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine in a population-based study. 

The study used the French National Health Data System linked to the national COVID-19 vaccination database. It included participants with unvaccinated or vaccinated with the BNT162b2 vaccine, aged 75 years or older, admitted to the hospital between December 15, 2020, and April 30, 2021, admitted to the hospital between December 15, 2020, and April 30, 2021 for hemorrhagic stroke, acute myocardial infarction, schemic stroke, or pulmonary embolism.