Did COVID vaccines damage every single heart?

Anti-vaxxers published a study that claims COVID vaccines can quietly damage the heart in some people, so everyone who got vaccinated should be checked for heart problems.

This study was published in a predatory journal. Predatory journals are low-quality publications that pretend to be real scientific journals but do not properly check whether the research is accurate. The study was also promoted on another site by one of its authors. That site presents itself as a journal, but it works more like a blog. Its editorial board includes well-known anti-vaccine figures, including Peter McCullough, who is also an author of the study.

In contrast, research published in respected journals such as The Lancet shows a small increase in the risk of myocarditis and pericarditis after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination. Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle, which can make it harder for the heart to pump normally and may cause chest pain, shortness of breath, or a fast heartbeat. Pericarditis is inflammation of the thin sac around the heart, which can cause sharp chest pain that may feel worse when breathing in or lying down.

These conditions are rare, and the overall risk remains low. In most cases, vaccine-related myocarditis is mild and goes away quickly. Heart problems happen more often after a COVID-19 infection than after vaccination. One study found that myocarditis rates were higher in males under 40 after vaccination than after COVID infection. However, the researchers also found that myocarditis caused by COVID illness had a much higher risk of heart failure or death than myocarditis linked to vaccination. Many studies explain that the risk of myocarditis from COVID is greater and more serious than the risk from the vaccines.