It is known that Covid-19 can have a number of significant consequences long after the initial infection has gone, collectively known as long covid. It turns out myocarditis is one of them.
The impact of long covid has been notable because of the debilitating effects it has had on previously fit and healthy people, many of them competitive sportsmen and women. This included Major League baseball star Eduardo Rodriguez.
Speaking to the New York Times, the Boston Red Sox pitcher explained how, following a two-week lay-off with the virus, he returned to training only to find he was exhausted after ten pitches. “I felt like I was going to faint”, he said.
Having initially blamed his problem on rustiness after his enforced break, he rested for a few days and tried again, but once more felt exhausted. This time he got his condition checked out and was found to be suffering from heart muscle inflammation caused by myocarditis.
Thankfully, the symptoms did not last. Rodriguez was ordered to rest completely for three months, which has helped him recover and he is now back in regular action. So far he is the only Major League Baseball player known to have suffered myocarditis as a result of catching Covid. His recovery is also encouraging news, as it shows myocarditis sufferers can recover fully.
Speaking to the paper, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Dr. William Schaffner noted that several studies on Covid and myocarditis showed that incidences of the heart condition caused by the virus are “less common than we first feared”.
The experience of Eduardo Rodriguez is not the only way in which the virus has been potentially linked with myocarditis. Last month, Israeli health experts said there were a few cases of myocarditis among young men who had recently had their second dose of the Pfizer shot.
However, Pfizer and US health authorities said the incidence of cases among those who had had the jab was no different to the level of the condition observed in the general population.
