Temporal Association Between the COVID-19 Ad26.COV2.S Vaccine and Acute Myocarditis: A Case Report and Literature Review

With the recent approval and widespread administration of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Janssen vaccines worldwide, incidence of severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection has significantly decreased. In spite of their undisputed role in reducing the severity of the disease and reduction of the disease burden in the community, there have been case reports of serious side effects with these vaccines. We aim to describe a case report of myocarditis following administration of the Janssen vaccine in a healthy, young male and review the available literature on COVID-19 vaccine related myocarditis and its possible pathogenesis. This case and literature review notes a temporal association between COVID-19 vaccination and myocarditis. Despite these observations, the benefits of the vaccines far outweigh the risks of possible myocarditis. •Higher occurrence of post-vaccination myocarditis noted among young males•Most episodes noted following the second dose of the mRNA vaccine•Episodes after the first dose of the mRNA vaccine seen in individuals with a prior COVID-19 infection•The benefits of the COVID-19 vaccines still far outweigh the risks.