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Nordic Countries halt Moderna vaccinations for young men
over heart inflammation concerns
7 Oct, 2021 10:45
Finland has decided it will pause rolling out Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine to men born in 1991 and later due to concerns about the rare side effect of heart inflammation post-inoculation, following Nordic nations Sweden and Denmark.
Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, the director of Finland’s National Institute for Health and Welfare, Mika Salminen, announced Helsinki’s halt on offering Moderna’s Spikevax jab to its younger male population.
“A Nordic study involving Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark found that men under the age of 30 who received Moderna Spikevax had a slightly higher risk than others of developing myocarditis,” he explained.
Salminen said that while the heart inflammation often went away on its own in a few days, he recommended instead that this demographic be inoculated with Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine, marketed as Comirnaty.
The director also said young male Finns who have had their first dose of Spikevax would receive Comirnaty for their second. He insisted it was still important to get the second dose to get maximum protection against the virus.
Finland’s decision comes a day after neighboring Sweden suspended the use of Spikevax on all of its population born in 1991 and later after an “increased incidence” of heart inflammation diseases myocarditis and pericarditis following inoculation, especially after the second dose.
Nordic nation Denmark also paused the use of Spikevax on the same day on similar grounds, although only for minors under age 18.
Geir Bukholm, head of infection control at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, said on Wednesday that “men under the age of 30 should also consider choosing Comirnaty when they get vaccinated,” as Oslo already recommends Pfizer’s jab for its minors.
The European Medicines Agency in July published findings urging heart conditions myocarditis and pericarditis to be added to the list of potential rare side effects of mRNA Covid-19 vaccines manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna after reviewing over 300 incidences across the European Economic Area. According to the medicinal regulatory body, these cases represent only a minute number, however.
On Oct 8th, Iceland stopped using Moderna for all age groups.
Indiana family says their 4 & 5yo children received Covid
vaccines by mistake, after flu shot mix-up at Walgreens
12 Oct, 2021 04:17
A family of four in Indiana claims they were given Covid-19 vaccinations in error after showing up at a Walgreens location for flu shots – not the first time such a mix-up has been reported at the pharmacy chain.
Alexandra and Joshua Price of Evansville, Indiana told local media that they and their two young children were scheduled for flu shots at a local Walgreens on October 4, but were instead administered coronavirus shots by mistake. Though no Covid vaccine is approved for children younger than the age of 12, the Price family says their four- and five-year-old were given full adult doses of the Pfizer shot.
The family’s lawyer, Daniel Tuley, provided vaccination cards to local media, which he says were given to the Price family after the mix-up was discovered. The cards show the names and dates of birth for each family member – including the two children, born in 2016 and 2017 – and noted that they were given the Pfizer formulation at a Walgreens vaccination site.
The Prices say they initially left the appointment believing that they had, in fact, received flu shots, but were informed by a Walgreens employee that there was an error a short time later.
“Walgreens called me to say there was a mix-up, we did not receive the flu shot,” Alexandra told a local NBC affiliate. “And I’m like ‘Well what did we get?’ And he was like we got the Covid-19 shot, And instantly I was like, ‘Well what does this mean for my kids?’”
The concerned mom then brought the children to a pediatrician, she says, and was told some irregularities were detected. “[The cardiologist] said our daughter was having higher blood pressure than she would like,” Alexandra said, adding that “our son was having tachycardia,” referring to an abnormally fast heart rate.
It is unclear whether the symptoms had any link to the vaccines, though health officials have raised concerns about the increased risk of heart issues, particularly for younger recipients of the Covid immunizations. Reports of adverse reactions remain rare, however.
Responding to repeated requests for comment by the NBC affiliate, Walgreens issued a statement on Monday which declined to confirm the Price family’s charges, though nonetheless said it takes any such cases “very seriously.”
“Due to privacy laws, we cannot comment on specific patient events. However, in general, such instances are rare and Walgreens takes these matters very seriously,” the company said, adding: “In the event of any error, our first concern is always our patients’ wellbeing,” and that Walgreens implements “several safety checks to minimize the chance of human error.”
As of Monday night, the Price family had not filed a lawsuit over the incident, and it remains unclear whether they intend to bring the matter to the courts despite their lawyer’s involvement.
The apparent mix-up would not be the first of its kind. Late last month, a Baltimore family expecting flu shots were shocked to find their four-year-old daughter had been jabbed with the Covid immunization by mistake. That error also took place at a Walgreens location, and, like the two Price children, the four-year-old received Pfizer’s formulation. Fortunately, the little girl did not experience any adverse symptoms in that case.
Nerve disorder Guillain-Barre syndrome added as very rare
side effect for AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine in UK
21 Oct, 2021 17:48
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has added a serious nerve disorder as a possible side effect to the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine after a handful of cases were linked to the jab.
Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) itself is a rare nerve disorder that can cause paralysis, but recent data has shown the likelihood “of a possible association” to the vaccine “has strengthened,” according to the regulatory agency.
Of the millions who have received the AstraZeneca vaccine, there were 432 reports of GBS possibly stemming from the vaccine. There were 50 similar cases reported for the Pfizer vaccine.
In response, the agency has updated their information on AstraZeneca’s jab to include GBS as a rare, but possible, side effect.
The decision follows the European Medicines Agency adding the nerve disorder as a potential side effect for the vaccine last month.
The EMA’s decision was based on hundreds of reports of GBS possibly linked to the vaccine, which is branded as Vaxzevria. The side effect, however, is still classified as very rare.
In the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) previously listed GBS as a very rare side effect for the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
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