Moderna vaccine use suspended in young men in three European countries

The Finnish health authorities announced on Thursday that they will suspend vaccination of men under 30 with Moderna’s anticovid vaccine due to the risk of heart inflammation, adding to the decision adopted by Sweden and Denmark on Wednesday.

The director of the Finnish National Institute of Health and Welfare (THL), Mika Salminen, told a press conference that Moderna’s medicine has a slightly higher risk than other vaccines of developing myocarditis, according to a recent study carried out in the Nordic countries.

Mika Salminen, director of the Finnish Institute of Health, said that instead, Finland to administer Pfizer vaccine to men born since 1991. Finland offers vaccines to people over 12 years old.

“A Nordic study which involved Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark found that men under 30 who received Moderna Spikevax had un slightly higher risk than others to develop myocarditis, ”he said.

Swedish and Danish health officials said on Wednesday they would suspend the use of Moderna’s vaccine for all young adults and children, citing the same unpublished study.

Norwegian health authorities reiterated on Wednesday that recommended that men under 30 choose the Pfizer vaccine.

The Finnish institute said that the A Nordic study would be published in a few weeks and Preliminary data has been sent to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for further assessment.