133 Molesworth Street
PO Box 5013
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
T+64 4 496 2000
2 November 2023
Mark Shelly
By email: [FYI request #24335 email]
Ref:
H2023032160
Tēnā koe Mark
Response to your request for official information Thank you for your requests under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) to Manatū Hauora
(the Ministry of Health) on 4 October 2023. You requested:
“Please provide updated statistics (ie number of people discharged from hospital with a
principal diagnosis of myocarditis in NZ every year subsequent to dates used in this study.
Please stratify by age and sex if possible."
Manatū Hauora does not hold any information relating to the abovementioned part of your
request; however, I have been advised that this information is held by Te Whatu Ora – Health
New Zealand. For this reason, I have decided to transfer this part of your request to their
agency under section 14(b)(i) of the Act. You can expect a response from Te Whatu Ora in due
course. Please accept our apologies for the delay in communicating the decision to transfer this
part of your request.
“Regarding covid-19 vaccine independent safety monitoring board media release of 20
Dec 2021.
https://www.health.govt.nz/news-media/media-releases/statement-covid-19-vaccine-
independent-safety-monitoring-board
Please provide evidence supporting the claim that:
COVID-19 infection increases the risk of myocarditis substantially more than vaccination
with the Pfizer vaccine.
The statement refers to an Israeli study. Please advise if it is this study:
https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nejm.org%2F
doi%2Ffull%2F10.1056%2FNEJMoa2110737&data=05%7C01%7Coiagr%40health.govt.n
z%7Cdaffc45fb40c4c85f4d808dbc45c45a1%7C23cec7246d204bd19fe9dc4447edd1fa%7
C0%7C0%7C638319672804401247%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLj
AwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C
&sdata=ZGBaAaJsUkILTAHa4xkQz9eaXbL0fFnPRQEoyhxmRDc%3D&reserved=0
If it is not this study, please advise what study the statement refers to.
The above study found that for males aged between 16 and 29 the incidence of
myocarditis following receipt of a Comirnaty injection exceeded 1 in 10,000.
"The highest incidence (10.69 cases per 100,000 persons; 95% CI, 6.93 to 14.46) was
observed among male patients between the ages of 16 and 29 years."
The statement claims that the risk of myocarditis from COVID-19 infection is much greater
than from COVID-19 vaccination. Please advise what rate of myocarditis the ministry
attributes as resulting from a COVID-19 infection in this cohort (males 16 to 29) and what
source it uses to substantiate this claim.
Please provide evidence that vaccination (1) protects individuals from contracting COVID-
19 and (2) reduces the rate of the occurrence myocarditis if infected (include the rate of
reduction of infection that vaccination results in and how this has been established). It
would be particularly helpful if this evidence was stratified by age and sex (eg, in males
aged 16 - 29 it has been shown that for every 1,000 vaccine doses administered 999
individuals have been protected against infection).”
The above part of your request was also transferred to Te Whatu Ora on 25 October 2023 in
accordance with section 14(b)(i) of the Act. You can expect a response from Te Whatu Ora in
due course.
"Report:
https://www.health.govt.nz/news-media/media-releases/statement-covid-19-vaccine-
independent-safety-monitoring-board
Claim:
There are many possible causes of myocarditis, the most common being viral infection; an
average of 95 people (SAFE study) are discharged from hospital with a principal diagnosis
of myocarditis in New Zealand every year.
Please provide a copy of the report referred to above.”
Information in response to this part of your request is publicly available here:
gvdn.shinyapps.io/gvdn/ as such, this part of your request is refused under section 18(d) of the
Act.
Under section 28(3) of the Act, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review any
decisions made under this request. The Ombudsman may be contacted by email at:
[email address] or by calling 0800 802 602.
Nāku noa, na
Jan Torres
Manager, OIA Services
Government and Executive Services | Te Pou Whakatere Kāwanatanga
Page 2 of 4
COPY OF OIA REQUEST
From: Mark Shelly
<[FYI request #24335 email]>; Received: Wed Oct 04 2023 11:01:20 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
To: OIA Requests
<[email address]>; OIA
<[email address]>; Subject: Official Information request - Myocarditis by COVID-19 Infection v by Vaccine - NZ
Males 16 to 29
Dear Ministry of Health,
Regarding covid-19 vaccine independent safety monitoring board media release of 20 Dec
2021.
https://www.health.govt.nz/news-media/media-releases/statement-covid-19-vaccine-
independent-safety-monitoring-board
Please provide evidence supporting the claim that:
COVID-19 infection increases the risk of myocarditis substantially more than vaccination with
the Pfizer vaccine.
The statement refers to an Israeli study. Please advise if it is this study:
https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nejm.org%2Fdoi%2
Ffull%2F10.1056%2FNEJMoa2110737&data=05%7C01%7Coiagr%40health.govt.nz%7Cdaffc4
5fb40c4c85f4d808dbc45c45a1%7C23cec7246d204bd19fe9dc4447edd1fa%7C0%7C0%7C638
319672804401247%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luM
zIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ZGBaAaJsUkILTAHa
4xkQz9eaXbL0fFnPRQEoyhxmRDc%3D&reserved=0
If it is not this study, please advise what study the statement refers to.
The above study found that for males aged between 16 and 29 the incidence of myocarditis
following receipt of a Comirnaty injection exceeded 1 in 10,000.
"The highest incidence (10.69 cases per 100,000 persons; 95% CI, 6.93 to 14.46) was
observed among male patients between the ages of 16 and 29 years."
The statement claims that the risk of myocarditis from COVID-19 infection is much greater than
from COVID-19 vaccination. Please advise what rate of myocarditis the ministry attributes as
resulting from a COVID-19 infection in this cohort (males 16 to 29) and what source it uses to
substantiate this claim.
Please provide evidence that vaccination (1) protects individuals from contracting COVID-19
and (2) reduces the rate of the occurrence myocarditis if infected (include the rate of reduction
of infection that vaccination results in and how this has been established). It would be
particularly helpful if this evidence was stratified by age and sex (eg, in males aged 16 - 29 it
has been shown that for every 1,000 vaccine doses administered 999 individuals have been
protected against infection).
Yours faithfully,
Mark Shelly
From: Mark Shelly
<[email address]>; Received: Wed Oct 04 2023 11:18:20 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
To: OIA Requests
<[email address]>; OIA
<[email address]>; Subject: Official Information request - Hospital discharges with a principal diagnosis of
myocarditis
Dear Ministry of Health,
Report:
https://www.health.govt.nz/news-media/media-releases/statement-covid-19-vaccine-
independent-safety-monitoring-board
Claim:
There are many possible causes of myocarditis, the most common being viral infection; an
Page 3 of 4
average of 95 people (SAFE study) are discharged from hospital with a principal diagnosis of
myocarditis in New Zealand every year.
Please provide a copy of the report referred to above.
Please provide updated statistics (ie number of people discharged from hospital with a principal
diagnosis of myocarditis in NZ every year subsequent to dates used in this study.
Please stratify by age and sex if possible.
Yours faithfully,
Mark Shelly
Page 4 of 4
