CDC Warns About Pfizer COVID Booster Potentially Causing Strokes

The CDC has just published a Safety warning About the Pfizer COVID bivalent booster. It is possible that it could be causing strokes.

BREAKING: The CDC has identified possible safety concerns for some COVID-vaccinated individuals https://t.co/LwMK6vTaYy

— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 13, 2023

BREAKING: CDC identifies possible 'safety concern' for certain people receiving COVID vaccines https://t.co/LwMK6vTaYy

— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 13, 2023

The Centers for Disease Control states that preliminary COVID-19 vaccine “safety signal” Investigators are currently examining whether the Bivalent Pfizer BioNTech vaccine increases the risk of stroke in those 65 years and older.

In the statement, the CDC says that the preliminary signal hasn’t been identified with Bivalent Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

Although safety signals are not proof that vaccines cause problems, they do indicate that there may be a correlation between vaccines and certain events.

It is important to note that the events at issue are ischemic. Ischemic strokes result from a decrease in blood flow to the brain. They are therefore a vascular phenomenon. It is possible that other events may be occurring.

Like the heart. Heart attacks are known as ischemic. A blockage in an arterial causes damage or death.

This will likely fuel speculation about sudden deaths and heart attacks in otherwise healthy individuals. The CDC, however, is careful to point out that at the moment they do not have any. “safety signal,” Nothing definitive. They continue to recommend the vaccination, despite downplaying the importance of the signal.

“Following the availability and use of the updated (bivalent) COVID-19 vaccines, CDC’s Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD), a near real-time surveillance system, met the statistical criteria to prompt additional investigation into whether there was a safety concern for ischemic stroke in people ages 65 and older who received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent.”

“Rapid-response investigation of the signal in the VSD raised a question of whether people 65 and older who have received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent were more likely to have an ischemic stroke in the 21 days following vaccination compared with days 22-44 following vaccination,” Friday’s statement by the CDC stated this.

BREAKING: CDC will investigate the link between Strokes and COVID-19 Vaccines

“The CDC is now saying there have been enough cases of people who have received the vaccine and then suffered a stroke” pic.twitter.com/fUk5mtu7HD

— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) January 13, 2023

BREAKING: CDC to Investigate Link Between Strokes & COVID-19 Vaccines

"The CDC is now saying there have been enough cases of people who have received the vaccine and then suffered a stroke" pic.twitter.com/fUk5mtu7HD

— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) January 13, 2023

It may turn out that this “safety signal” proves to signal a real problem that would buttress people’s fears about heart-related incidents, for obvious reasons. Strokes, which are vascular events, have the exact same mechanism as heart attacks.

A cautionary note about jumping to conclusions: This safety signal is only for older people and not those who have the most serious heart problems. Myocarditis can be caused by inflammation, not ischemia. Ischemia can affect any part of the body. For example, it could cause peripheral artery disease. Ischemia–restricted blood flow–can happen anywhere in the body, obviously. It’s just that the heart and brain are the most vulnerable.

The myocarditis risk is the cause of the problem. Given the higher prevalence in this age group, one would expect to see a sign in young men.

This is a bad image for the CDC that will fuel suspicion. They will say they are being transparent to prove their credibility.

My guess is that most people won’t see it that way, fairly or not.

UPDATE: “safety signal” In November They are only now revealing it. Although they claim to be transparent, this is not a good sign. The WaPo downplays this, saying that they were looking into it and data doesn’t confirm the signal, but the CDC itself says they are still studying the matter. This isn’t exactly transparent in my book.

In November, a vaccine safety monitoring system detected a signal suggesting that the Pfizer coronavirus booster could be linked to an increase in stroke risk in those 65 years and older. But a deep dive into several large databases failed to confirm the preliminary information, leading federal health officials to conclude the risk is extremely low — and probably nonexistent, those officials said Friday.

According to officials from the agency who reviewed the background, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (whose system detected the early warning) and the Food and Drug Administration (which also assesses vaccine safety), they have decided not to alter the recommendation that all people 6 months and older keep up with their coronavirus vaccinations.

The signal was early and involved the bivalent booster — which targets the original virus and omicron subvariants and became available starting in September — that is made by Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech. It did not apply to Moderna’s updated booster, officials said.

Here’s how the WaPo plays this. It’s a fascinating spin.