(Reuters) – Sweden and Denmark said on Wednesday they are pausing the use of Moderna’s (MRNA.O) COVID-19 vaccine for younger age groups after reports of possible rare cardiovascular side effects. The Swedish health agency said it would pause using the shot for people born in 1991 and later as data pointed to an increase of myocarditis and pericarditis among youths and young adults that had been vaccinated. Those conditions involve an inflammation of the heart or its lining. “The connection is especially clear when it comes to Moderna’s vaccine Spikevax, especially after the second dose,” the health agency said, adding the risk of being affected was very small. A Moderna spokesperson said in an email the company was aware of the decisions by regulators in Denmark and Sweden to pause the use of its vaccine in younger individuals because of the rare risk of myocarditis and or pericarditis. “These are typically mild cases and individuals tend to recover within a short time following standard treatment and rest,” the email read. “The risk of myocarditis is substantially increased for those who contract COVID-19, and vaccination is the best way to protect against this.”
