Sweden, Denmark stops Modern for young people | Forbes Advocate
Sweden and Denmark have said they will pause the use of the Mother’s COVID-19 vaccine for younger age groups following reports of possible rare side effects, such as myocarditis.
The Swedish Health Care Agency said on Wednesday that it would pause using the image for people born in 1991 and later, as data point to an increase in myocarditis and pericarditis among adolescents and young adults who have been vaccinated. These conditions involve an inflammation of the heart or its lining.
“The connection is particularly clear with regard to the Maternal vaccine Spikevax, especially after the second dose,” the health agency said in a statement, adding that the risk of being affected was very small.
Denmark said that while it was already using the Pfizer / Biontech vaccine as the main alternative for people aged 12-17, it had decided to pause giving the Moderna vaccine to people under 18 according to a “precautionary principle”.
“In the preliminary data … there is a suspicion of increased risk of heart inflammation when vaccinated with Moderna”, says the Danish health authority in a statement.
It referred to data from a as yet unpublished Nordic study, which would now be sent to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for further assessment. Final data was expected within a month, it added.
Sweden and Denmark said that they now recommended the Comirnaty vaccine, from Pfizer / Biontech, instead.
Norway already recommends the Cominarty vaccine to minors and said on Wednesday that it repeats this and emphasizes that the rare side effects can happen especially for boys and young men, and especially after receiving a second dose.
“Men under the age of 30 should also consider choosing Cominarty when they are vaccinated,” said Geir Bukholm, head of infection control at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, in a statement.
A Finnish health official said Finland expected to announce a decision on Thursday.
EMA approved the use of Comirnaty in May, while Spikevax received a nod for children over 12 in July.
Australian Associated Press