Ontario now recommending against Moderna vaccine for men 18-24 years old

The Ontario government is now recommending males aged 18 to 24 take Pfizer over Moderna as their COVID-19 vaccination due to the number of young men who have experienced myocarditis after getting the vaccine.

This comes after public health officials determined there is a 1 in 5,000 risk of myocarditis — a form of heart inflammation — following a second dose of the Moderna vaccine.

For any young men in that age bracket who received Moderna as their first dose and have not yet received a second dose, the government recommends they go with Pfizer. However, if any 18 to 24 year old males still wish to receive Moderna, the government says “they can continue to do so with informed consent.”

The risk of myocarditis for this demographic in Pfizer is 1 in 28,000, according to government officials.

“The majority of reported cases have been mild with individuals recovering quickly, normally with anti-inflammatory medication,” explains a guidance document released by the government. “Symptoms have typically been reported to start within one week after vaccination, more commonly after the second dose.”

While there are reports of myocarditis in Ontario among both males and females in all age brackets, the incidence rate among young males receiving their second Moderna shot was substantially higher than other categories.

This development comes after a Public Health Ontario report released last month showed over half of the province’s approximately 200 cases of hospitalizations for myocarditis following mRNA vaccination were in people under the age of 25.

Source:  torontosun.com/news/provincial/ontario-now-recommending-against-moderna-vaccine-for-men-18-24-years-old

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