Katsoularis I, Fonseca-Rodríguez O, Farrington P, et al. - COVID-19 is identified as a risk factor for acute myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke. The clinical picture of COVID-19 thus includes acute myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke, highlighting the necessity for vaccination against COVID-19.

• The self-controlled case series (SCCS) study included 86,742 patients with COVID-19, and the matched cohort study included 348,481 matched control individuals.

• On excluding the day of exposure from the risk period, the IRRs for acute myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke in the SCCS were 2·89 and 2·97 for the first week, 2·53 and 2·80 for the second week, and 1·60 and 2·10 in weeks 3 and 4 following COVID-19, respectively.

• On including the day of exposure in the risk period, the corresponding IRRs in the SCCS were 8·44 and 6·18 for the first week, 2·56 and 2·85 for the second week, and 1·62 and 2·14 for weeks 3 and 4 following COVID-19, respectively.

• In the matched cohort analysis excluding day 0, the odds ratio (OR) for acute myocardial infarction and stroke were 3·41 and 3·63 in the 2 weeks following COVID-19 and including day 0, the respective ORs were 6·61 and 6·74 in the 2 weeks following COVID-19.