FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 24, 2021

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) supports the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) June 23 news release urging children 12 and older and young adults to get their COVID-19 vaccination.

The federal department, along with the physicians, nurses, and parents joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American Heart Association, and more than a dozen other health organizations, in a joint statement on rare cases of mild heart inflammation some young people have experienced after getting their COVID-19 vaccination.

Specifically, their statement acknowledged reported cases of inflammation of the heart muscle and surrounding tissue called myocarditis and pericarditis following vaccinations. As the organizations stated, myocarditis, pericarditis, and other potential heart risks from COVID-19 disease are far more common and much more severe. The overwhelming majority of cases among vaccinated individuals result in mild symptoms, and recovery from these symptoms usually requires little to no treatment.   

DHEC continues to strongly encourage everyone 12 and older to get vaccinated. The vaccines are safe and effective and prevent COVID-19. Make no mistake: COVID-19 continues to spread in our communities, and those who remain unvaccinated face far greater risk from the disease than rare side effects from the vaccines. If you get COVID-19, not only could you get severely ill and be hospitalized or even die, but you could infect those you love as well as others.

Given the continued rise in the spread of the Delta variant, it is more important than ever for everyone to get vaccinated. DHEC urges South Carolinians to visit the agency’s vaccine page, the CDC website, and other reliable sources to learn more about vaccinations.   

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