Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines in Patients with Autoimmune Diseases, in Patients with Cardiac Issues, and in the Healthy Population

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been a challenge for the whole world since the beginning of 2020, and COVID-19 vaccines were considered crucial for disease eradication. Instead of producing classic vaccines, some companies pointed to develop products that mainly function by inducing, into the host, the production of the antigenic protein of SARS-CoV-2 called Spike, injecting an instruction based on RNA or a DNA sequence. Here, we aim to give an overview of the safety profile and the actual known adverse effects of these products in relationship with their mechanism of action. We discuss the use and safety of these products in at-risk people, especially those with autoimmune diseases or with previously reported myocarditis, but also in the general population. We debate the real necessity of administering these products with unclear long-term effects to at-risk people with autoimmune conditions, as well as to healthy people, at the time of omicron variants. This, considering the existence of therapeutic interventions, much more clearly assessed at present compared to the past, and the relatively lower aggressive nature of the new viral variants.

Automated summary

Since the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has posed a global challenge and the development of vaccines has been crucial. Instead of traditional vaccines, some companies have focused on developing products that induce the host to produce the antigenic protein of SARS-CoV-2 called Spike by injecting RNA or DNA instructions. This article provides an overview of the safety profile and known adverse effects of these products in relation to their mechanism of action. The necessity of administering these products with unclear long-term effects to at-risk individuals with autoimmune conditions and to healthy individuals during the emergence of the omicron variant is debated, considering the availability of therapeutic interventions and the relatively lower aggressiveness of the new viral variants.