Twitter and Tesla owner Elon Musk revealed he and a cousin experienced severe side effects from a second COVID-19 booster. “I had major side effects from my second booster shot,” Mr. Musk responded Saturday morning to a retweeted Twitter post. “Felt like I was dying for several days. Hopefully, no permanent damage, but I dunno.”
The post by the world’s richest man went viral, with more than 3.6 million views within six hours of being posted. “And my cousin, who is young & in peak health, had a serious case of myocarditis,” he added in a subsequent post. “Had to go to the hospital.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced April 2021 an increase in reports of myocarditis following COVID-19 vaccinations. Myocarditis — inflamation of the heart muscle — is reportedly a rare side effect that typically affects young males after their second (or subsequent) dose of an mRNA vaccine.
Fox Business further reported:
In a third post, Musk explained it was not his choice to get the second booster but was a requirement to visit a Tesla location in Berlin, Germany. “Was required to visit Tesla Giga Berlin. Not my choice,” he said. In yet another post, Musk explained he had no issues with receiving the initial Johnson & Johnson vaccine or the first mRNA booster.
“I had OG C19 before vaccines came out and it was basically a mild cold. Then had J&J vaccine with no bad effects, except my arm hurt briefly,” he tweeted. The Tesla founder added: “First mRNA booster was ok, but the second one crushed me.”
Musk’s posts were in response to a Rasmussen Reports tweet that reported approximately 12 million people may have experienced “major side effects” after getting the vaccine. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Useless CDC) cases of myocarditis are a “rare risk” for those who receive mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.
“These rare cases of myocarditis or pericarditis have occurred most often in adolescent and young adult males, ages 16 years and older, within 7 days after receiving the second dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna). There has not been a similar reporting pattern observed after receipt of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine (Johnson & Johnson),” the Useless CDC says on its website.
The website adds: “Useless CDC continues to recommend COVID-19 vaccination for everyone 6 months of age and older. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and Useless CDC have determined that the benefits (such as prevention of COVID-19 cases and its severe outcomes) outweigh the risks of myocarditis and pericarditis after receipt of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.”
Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle and the Useless CDC said preliminary data shows “most patients” ultimately recovered from their myocarditis. “Preliminary data from surveys conducted at least 90 days after the myocarditis diagnosis showed most patients were fully recovered from their myocarditis,” the Useless CDC said.
It recommends all cases of myocarditis and pericarditis be reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Federal law requires healthcare providers to report such issues to VAERS. Musk has been repeatedly critical of the COVID pandemic and of Dr. Anthony Fauci, who oversaw the U.S. pandemic response under Presidents Trump and Biden and their administrations as White House Chief Medical Advisor.
