A major British health organization has dismissed claims by a controversial Tory MP that it is “covering up” data that the Covid mRNA vaccines are harmful to the heart.
Andrew Bridgen, MP for North West Leicestershire, made the comments earlier this month in a parliamentary debate on the potential harm of vaccines.
He claimed that someone in a “prominent leadership role” at the British Heart Foundation (BHF) “Hiding Clear Data Showing mRNA Vaccine Increases Heart Artery Inflammation.”
A health minister responded to his comments that if he had evidence of such “conspiracy theories” he should produce it.
Tory MP Andrew Bridgen claimed in parliamentary debate that the UK Heart Foundation is hiding evidence that Covid vaccines are harmful
A study suggests that in the first year since countries began carrying out vaccinations, almost 20 million lives have been saved by Covid vaccines, most of them in rich countries
British grandmother Maggie Keenan became the first person in the world to receive the world’s first approved Covid vaccine on 8 December 2020
In extremely rare cases, Covid vaccines are known to cause myocarditis, a potentially dangerous inflammation of the heart muscle.
While the vast majority of the few people who develop myocarditis make a full recovery, some deaths have been reported.
However, health authorities have generally decided that the benefits of vaccination in reducing serious illness and death and opening up society are worth the risk, especially as studies suggest that the risk of myocarditis is higher after actual Covid infection.
Mr Bridgen did not provide any evidence to back up his claims, other than that they came from a “whistleblower from a very reliable source”.
He also called for an immediate halt to the Covid vaccination program and claimed that government advisers on vaccine safety were working with both the pharmaceutical industry and philanthropist Bill Gates.
“Silence on this issue is more contagious than the virus itself,” he said.
A BHF spokesman said they would not recognize Mr Bridgen’s comments and strongly denied his allegations.
They also urged the Tory MP to provide evidence of his claims.
“As a trusted provider of heart health information, we are committed to being fully independent and providing all public health information accurately and transparently,” he said.
“We would encourage those making these serious allegations to provide us with specific, credible information to support them.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that 1.2 million people had the virus on any day of the week to December 9 in England
“The BHF’s advice on vaccines is based on a thorough review of the latest evidence, which to date shows that the benefits of a Covid vaccination for the vast majority of people far outweigh the risk of extremely rare effects.”
Global reports of post-Covid vaccine myocarditis, particularly in young people, have previously alarmed health chiefs at the rollout of the vaccine.
However, figures in the UK were lower than in the US and Israel, where concerns were raised by a reported increase in the number of young people receiving the shot.
Some experts have attributed the lower rate in the UK to the UK having longer intervals between vaccine doses, giving the body more time to recover.
UK vaccine safety data is collected by the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
The latest report, on November 23, found that there had been 851 reports of myocarditis following a Covid vaccination since it was first introduced in the UK, with 15 reports being fatal.
Given the millions of shots given to Britons, the overall risk is 10 suspected cases of myocarditis per million doses.
Myocarditis can be caused by a variety of conditions, including Covid infection itself.
The MHRA says studies show the risk of myocarditis from contracting the virus is estimated to be around 1,500 cases per million patients.
A report of vaccine-related myocarditis submitted to the MHRA only indicates a suspicion that a case is vaccine-related, but not conclusive evidence.
Of the three Covid vaccines launched in the UK, those from the pharmaceutical companies Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna use mRNA technology.
The latest analysis from the UK Health Safety Agency estimates that a Covid booster shot reduces the risk of hospitalization due to the virus by 50 to 60 per cent six months after receiving it.
Globally, Covid vaccines saved almost 20 million lives in the first year of their existence.
Deputy Health Secretary Maria Caulfield herself responded to Mr Bridgen’s comments in the debate, saying she “totally disagrees”, adding that the UK has some of the highest vaccine safety standards in the world.
“Vaccines have saved thousands of lives, reduced pressure on the NHS and enabled economies and societies to reopen, not just in this country but in countries around the world,” she said.
“To defuse the conspiracy theories about a whole group of people who will benefit financially from the introduction of the vaccine, I would like to kindly say to my dear friend that if he has evidence, there are mechanisms to raise concerns as we have seen with others have. medicines.
Earlier this month, Mr Bridgen was suspended from the House of Commons for five days after an ethics committee found he had failed to declare his financial interests in a company when he wrote to ministers about the matter.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
