A new Senate report, released on Wednesday by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), alleges that U.S. health officials were aware of myocarditis risks associated with COVID-19 vaccines but delayed public warnings and downplayed the issue.

The 55-page interim report, obtained by Fox News Digital, stems from Johnson’s investigation as chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations into the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.

The report, based on 2,473 pages of records subpoenaed from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the Trump administration, accuses Biden administration officials of withholding critical health information from both the public and the Subcommittee.

Johnson, who has sent over 70 oversight letters since 2021—many of which he claims were ignored or inadequately addressed—focuses on HHS’s handling of myocarditis, a form of heart inflammation linked to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.

According to the report, health officials at HHS, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), were aware of myocarditis risks as early as February 2021.

The Israeli Ministry of Health had alerted CDC officials about “large reports of myocarditis, particularly in young people,” following Pfizer vaccine administration.

By April 2021, CDC officials were discussing “safety signals” for myocarditis based on data from the U.S. Department of Defense and Israel but did not promptly warn the public.

In May 2021, HHS officials considered issuing a Health Alert Network (HAN) message, the CDC’s primary method for sharing urgent public health information with practitioners, clinicians, and laboratories.

However, the report states that CDC and FDA officials opted against a formal HAN, choosing instead to post “clinical considerations” about myocarditis on the CDC’s website.

The report also cites draft meeting notes from late May 2021, exchanged between U.S. health officials, which included a discussion on whether the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) was signaling myocarditis risks.

The notes confirmed signals for the 16-17 and 18-24 age groups. Despite this, the Biden administration delayed updating Moderna and Pfizer vaccine labels to reflect the “suggested increased risks” of myocarditis and pericarditis until late June 2021.

The report claims that the Biden administration’s delay in issuing formal warnings “kindized the health of young Americans” by withholding transparent information about cardiac-related risks.

It further alleges that communications between CDC officials and representatives from Moderna and Pfizer show awareness of the issue, yet no immediate action was taken to inform the public.

According to VAERS data cited in the report, as of April 25, there were 38,607 reported deaths and over 1.6 million adverse events worldwide associated with COVID-19 vaccines.

The report argues that the decision to downplay these risks and delay public warnings compromised public health.

Sen. Johnson’s report is part of a broader effort to scrutinize the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.

The subpoenaed records, combined with public documents obtained through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, form the basis of the timeline and findings presented.

The report underscores the need for greater transparency from health agencies to ensure public trust and safety.

As the investigation continues, Johnson and his team aim to uncover further details about the handling of vaccine safety data and the decision-making processes within HHS during the pandemic.