EUROPE – Finland announced on Thursday that they are jointing fellow Scandinavian countries Sweden and Denmark in limiting their use of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine due to potentially serious side effects that can occur in young men who get the jab.
The use of the Moderna vaccine will be paused for man under the age of 30 in favor of Pfizer’s vaccine, according to Finnish Health Institute Director Mika Salminen, who noted that this group was at a higher risk than others of developing myocarditis, which is inflammation of the heart muscle.
Salminen cited an unpublished “Nordic study involving Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark” that indicated teen and young adult males were more susceptible to myocarditis brought on by the Moderna jab.
Swedish and Danish health officials had already announced on Wednesday – one day prior to Finland’s announcement – that they would be pausing their use of the Moderna vaccine for males in that age range.
The Nordic study Moderna vaccine is due to be published within several weeks; preliminary data from the study has already been sent to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to be assessed.
Currently, all Finland residents aged 12 and older are eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
A Moderna spokesperson issued a statement on Wednesday in response to Sweden and Denmark’s decision to limit the use of their vaccine.
“These are typically mild cases and individuals tend to recover within a short time following standard treatment and rest,” they said. “The risk of myocarditis is substantially increased for those who contract COVID-19, and vaccination is the best way to protect against this.”
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