Finland has limited the use of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for younger males due to a rare risk of heart inflammation.
All men under 30 will not receive the Moderna vaccine after reports indicated a rare cardiovascular side effect.
Instead, they will be offered the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine instead.
The move by Finland followed similar decisions by three neighbouring countries on Wednesday.
Sweden suspended the use of Moderna for people under 30. Denmark said those under 18 will not receive the Swiss-made vaccine, and Norway urged those under 30 to get the Pfizer vaccine instead.
All four countries based their decision on an unpublished study with Sweden’s Public Health Agency saying that it signals “an increased risk of side effects such as inflammation of the heart muscle or the pericardium” – the double-walled sac containing the heart and the roots of the main vessels.
It added: “The risk of being affected is very small.”
Moderna Vaccine Raises Questions!
Japan has ealier put a batch of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine on hold following the discovery of foreign substances in more batches.
The move came after a pharmacist saw several black particles in one vial of the vaccine in Kanagawa Prefecture.
The pharmacist found the black particles while checking for foreign substances before the vaccine’s use.
Some 3,790 people had already received shots from the batch.
However, the authorities have put the rest of the batch on hold.
