Last Updated on October 6, 2021
The Swedish Public Health Agency revealed on Wednesday that it is recommending use of the Moderna SpikeVax be discontinued in young people born after 1991, citing serious cardiac issues incuding myocarditis and pericarditis. Denmark implemented a ban for people aged 12-17 the same week.
“The Swedish Public Health Agency has decided to suspend the use of Moderna’s vaccine Spikevax, for everyone born in 1991 and later, for precautionary reasons,” the Agency stated on Wednesday. “The cause is signals of an increased risk of side effects such as inflammation of the heart muscle or heart sac. However, the risk of being affected is very small.”
“New preliminary [analysis] from Swedish and Nordic data sources indicate that the connection is especially clear when it comes to Moderna’s vaccine Spikevax, especially after the second dose,” the statement continued. “The increase in risk is seen within four weeks after the vaccination, mainly within the first two weeks.”
The statement concluded, “The Swedish Public Health Agency has decided to recommend a break for all use of Spikevax for people born in 1991 and later. The Comirnaty vaccine from Pfizer / Biontech is recommended for these age groups instead. The decision is valid until 1 December 2021. The Swedish Public Health Agency will return with a notice of recommendation after this date.”
On the same day, the Danish Health Authority noted that “In the preliminary data … there is a suspicion of an increased risk of heart inflammation, when vaccinated with Moderna,” while claiming “heart inflammation is an extremely rare side effect that often has a mild course and goes away on its own.”
Canada’s Public Health Agency stated last Friday that “The risk of cardiac complications, including heart inflammation, has been shown to be substantially increased following COVID-19 infections, with the risks higher after the infection than after vaccination.”
