Finland also limiting Moderna vaccine for younger groups

Finland is halting the use of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine in younger men over reports of a rare cardiovascular side effect, following similar steps by Sweden and Denmark.

Reuters reported Thursday that Finnish Health Institute Director Mike Salminen said the country would instead recommend the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to men born in 1991 and later.

Salminen said a Nordic study found that men under the age of 30 were at a higher risk of developing myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle.

Preliminary data from the study, which involved Finland, Sweden and Norway, has been sent to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for further assessment, Reuters reported.

The Hill has reached out to Moderna for comment.

Sweden said Wednesday that it would stop giving Moderna’s vaccine to those born in 1991 or later, while Denmark is halting the vaccine in anyone under the age of 18. Both countries cited the same unpublished study in explaining their decisions.

The EMA’s safety committee said in July that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines could be linked to “very rare” cases of myocarditis and pericarditis. At the time, the committee said such cases occurred in less than 1 percent of patients who received Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

The agency also said the benefits of all authorized vaccines outweigh their risks.