'Worrying Development': Rare Case Of Heart Inflammation Found In Vaccinated Man With Omicron

KEY POINTS

The man is fully vaccinated and has even received a booster shot
He was healthy with no underlying condition
There are hardly any previous cases of cardiac issues connected to the Omicron variant

A rare case of heart inflammation linked to the Omicron variant has been detected in a 43-year-old man with COVID-19 in Israel. He is currently being treated for myocarditis or inflammation of the heart muscle.

Doctors at the Sheba Medical Center in Israel said the patient is currently in the Intensive Care Unit, reported The Times Of Israel.

"This is the first time we have seen this with Omicron," Prof. Shlomi Matetzky, a cardiology expert at the hospital, told the news outlet. He said it was "a worrying development that we need to think about" and that the doctors were keeping a close watch on the patient.

Doctors said the patient was vaccinated and even received a booster shot in August. He was healthy with no underlying condition.

Though previous COVID-19 variants, including Delta, are known to cause myocarditis and other fatal heart complications in people, there are hardly any previous reports about Omicron causing cardiac problems.

An earlier report quoting an expert had detailed how COVID-19 patients who developed myocarditis were not always 'critically ill' or those with underlying heart conditions. Jason Kovacic, from Sydney's Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, said one of Delta's side effects could include heart inflammation.

There were also reports of inflammation of the heart muscle in those who received COVID-19 shots. These symptoms were found mostly in young men after the second dose of the mRNA vaccines.

In a recent scientific study, doctors tracked seven male patients, aged 19 to 39, who were hospitalized for myocarditis-like illness not long after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. The participants included those who received vaccines by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna – the two mRNA vaccines – or Johnson & Johnson. All recovered and left the hospital after two to four days of treatment, a Reuters report said.

The latest case comes as Israel sees a surge in infections. More than 200 COVID-19 patients were listed as seriously ill as of Sunday. The country's health ministry confirmed there were 115,010 active patients in the country. Israel is also battling a rise in flu cases amid the new COVID-19 wave.