Ontario recommends Pfizer vaccine for men 18-24 to reduce risk of rare heart inflammation

Ontario recommends that men aged 18 to 24 receive the Pfizer / BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the future due to the rare risk of heart inflammation from the Moderna vaccine.

The change, announced Wednesday, comes after the Ontario Children’s Vaccination Table and other officials analyzed reports of adverse events. They found a slightly increased risk of myocarditis and pericarditis in men 18 to 24 years old after receiving the Moderna vaccine. Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle, and pericarditis is inflammation of the membrane surrounding the heart.

The risk is about one in 5,000 in men aged 18 to 24 who have received Moderna, and symptoms usually appear within a week of the second dose, the province said.

Ontario Immunization Passport: How to Access Your COVID-19 Vaccination Receipt and Where It’s Required

People who received Moderna as their first dose can safely take the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine as their second dose, the province said, noting that two doses of mRNA provide the best protection against COVID-19, regardless of brand.

Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease physician at the Toronto University Health Network, said the decision to recommend the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine over Moderna’s was a smart move.

“If you have no supply issues and you have a clear indicator that one vaccine has a lower incidence of a rare side effect than another, then you should preferably use that vaccine. It’s that simple, ”said Dr Bogoch.

The vast majority of cases of heart inflammation linked to COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are mild and resolve with anti-inflammatory drugs. A small number of people have been hospitalized with heart inflammation after vaccination in Ontario and no deaths have been reported, according to the province. The rates are similar to what has been reported in other countries.

Anyone who has received the Moderna vaccine should be assured they have done the right thing, the province said. If more than a week has passed since the vaccination and no symptoms have appeared, the person is unlikely to have inflammation of the heart.

Unvaccinated people face a much higher likelihood of developing heart inflammation as a result of COVID-19 infections, health officials said, and the risk of serious illness and other complications is also much. higher.

Our Morning Update and Evening Update bulletins are written by The Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. register today.