According to a new study, Moderna’s COVDI-19 vaccine, Spikevax, has a higher risk of heart inflammation associated with products from Pfizer and BioNTech. The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, concluded that the risk of myocarditis is much higher after a second dose of Moderna’s Spikevax compared with Comirnaty from Pfizer.
The study found that cases of myocarditis were more prevalent in men under the age of 40 who had received the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Researchers of the study noted that the findings mainly support the idea of recommending specific vaccines to the populations to reduce adverse events.
The study analysed data from around 3 million participants who had received two doses of either Moderna or Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in Canada and British Columbia. The research has identified 31 myocarditis cases within 21 days of the second vaccine dose, compared with the second vaccine shot from Pfizer. The highest rates for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine fell in the range of males aged 18 to 29 years.
Moderna has acknowledged the known risk of the side effect, and the cases are mild and can resolve after a few days of treatment and rest. The risk of myocarditis after COVID-19 infection is higher than after COVID-19 vaccination, a Moderna spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that regulatory agencies around the world have recognized the benefits of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, which outweigh the risks across all age groups. The vaccination against COVID-19 still continues to be an important tool in overcoming the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic.
