Sweden stops modern vaccines for young people over possible rare side effects
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Sweden pauses the use of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine for people under 30 years of age after reports of possible rare side effects, including myocarditis, the country’s health agency announced on Wednesday, describing this as a “precautionary measure”.
GLASGOW, UNITED KINGDOM – SEPTEMBER 03: A young boy gets an immunization job at a health center … [+]
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Key facts
In an announcement online, Swedish health authorities quoted “signals” about increased risk of myocarditis (myocarditis) and pericarditis (inflammation of the membrane surrounding the heart) among Modern vaccine recipients.
The diseases – characterized by symptoms such as chest pain and shortness of breath – are most common among young men, and while they usually disappear within a few weeks, they can in a few cases become chronic.
The agency did not say how many possible cases of the rare heart infection it has identified, but described the number as “very small” and the side effects as “very rare.”
People in this age group are now recommended to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (the Swedish Health Authority recommended children between the ages of 12 and 15 to only receive the Pfizer vaccine earlier this week).
Key background
Despite their rarity, myocarditis and pericarditis became a source of concern in the Covid-19 pandemic due to a few cases of people who developed heart disease after vaccination. However, these cases were extremely small compared to the number of people who got jabs and security groups quickly decided that the benefits of the vaccine outweighed the risks of the disease. Further, research has suggested People are much more likely to develop myocarditis after receiving Covid-19 than they are after receiving the vaccine. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study published last month recorded a large increase in cases of myocarditis last year driven by a significant “link” between the rare heart disease and Covid-19, although it was still extremely uncommon. for someone “without or without” the coronavirus.
Further reading
“Covid multiplies risk of rare heart disease – but it’s still extremely rare, CDC studies suggest” (Forbes)
“FDA Advisory Panel Recommends Against Pfizer Covid Boosters – Except for People Over 65” (Forbes)
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