Is the Modern COVID vaccine banned in Sweden?
When COVID vaccines are launched around the world, very rare examples of adverse effects have emerged.
The statement
Chris Saccoccia, who is known for protesting against COVID preventive measures such as face masks and lockdowns in Canada, suggested in a tweet on Wednesday that the Swedish government had banned the Mother’s COVID vaccine.
Saccoccia, better known as Chris Sky. wrote: “Modernity is now banned in Sweden due to myocarditis.
“How many idiots took the Moderna job or gave it to their children?”
He has 106,000 Twitter followers and at the time of writing, the tweet had received about 600 retweets and 1380 likes.
On Thursday, Google’s analysis tool for Google Trends showed that searches for “Sweden bans Modern Vaccine” increased by 600 percent. It was still a peak on Friday, although this had dropped to 40 percent.
Facts
On Wednesday, the Swedish Public Health Agency ordered a break in the country’s launch of the Modern COVID vaccine, known as Spikevax, for people born in 1991 and later due to concerns about myocarditis and pericarditis.
The agency said the move was a “precautionary measure” and because of “an increased risk of side effects such as inflammation of the heart muscle or pericardium.” It said the risk of being affected was “very small”.
Myocarditis is known as inflammation of the heart muscle and pericarditis is known as inflammation of the outer edge of the heart. Both are caused by some kind of trigger that leads to an immune response.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that cases have been reported in people who have received the Pfizer or Modern COVID vaccines and that this has mostly affected male adolescents and young adults.
The Swedish Public Health Agency said that a preliminary analysis from Swedish and Nordic data sources showed that the risks were “particularly clear when it comes to Moderna’s vaccine Spikevax, especially after the second dose.”
It said that “for the individual, the risk of suffering is very small, it is a very rare side effect.”
Both conditions usually go away on their own, the agency said, but the symptoms should be assessed by a doctor. Symptoms include chest pain, shortness of breath and feelings of a fast beating heart.
The UK Network for the Reporting of Yellow Card Side Effects reported that up to 22 September, the total reporting rate for myocarditis with the Moderna vaccine was 28.3 per million doses and 17.2 per million doses for pericarditis.
Domen
Fake.
Sweden has not banned the Moderna vaccine.
It has discontinued use for those born in 1991 and later, which seems to have created speculation that it has been banned.
Chris Saccoccia stood by his claim when he was contacted by Newsweek.
FACTS CONTROL OF NEWSWEEK
Update 10/08/21, 12:00 ET: This article was updated to include Saccoccia’s response.