It has been confirmed by a top Pentagon official that cases of myocarditis among U.S. service members increased in 2021 after the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. Gilbert Cisneros Jr., the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, revealed that there were 275 cases of myocarditis in 2021, which is a 151 percent increase from the annual average recorded between 2016 and 2020. The COVID-19 vaccines have been linked to causing myocarditis, a type of heart inflammation that can result in fatalities, including sudden death. It is worth noting that COVID-19 itself can also cause myocarditis.
The importance of the diagnosis
The Defense Medical Epidemiology Database provided the diagnosis data. Mr. Cisneros used the rate of cases per 100,000 person-years to measure risk over a certain period. In 2021, the rate was 69.8 for those with prior infection, compared to 21.7 for vaccinated individuals. Mr. Cisneros suggested that this indicates COVID-19 infection, rather than vaccination, was the cause. No numbers were given for vaccinated individuals who also contracted the virus. The total rate of 20.6 suggests that some members were not included in the analysis. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who has been investigating issues with the database, questioned the military’s methodology for calculating these figures.
“It is unclear whether or how it accounted for service members who had a prior COVID-19 infection and received a COVID-19 vaccination,” Mr. Johnson wrote to Mr. Cisneros.
Department of Defense (DOD) officials didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Johnson asked for the information no later than Aug. 2.
Examining recently disclosed data
After examining the recently disclosed data, Dr. Peter McCullough, a cardiologist and president of the McCullough Foundation, concluded that the significant rise in myocarditis cases in the military during 2021 was likely due to the COVID-19 vaccine being administered without proper consideration. In an email to The Epoch Times, he referenced a study carried out in Israel that showed no increase in myocarditis cases among COVID-19 patients. While some other studies have indicated that COVID-19 vaccines may increase the risk of myocarditis, it should be noted that the vaccines do not prevent infection and are becoming increasingly less effective against it. It is also worth noting that COVID-19 has been linked to myocarditis in other studies.
