According to a Brussels Times report, Belgium stopped using Moderna’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine as a primary shot for those younger than 31 years in December 2021. The country instead recommended the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for initial vaccination despite also being linked to cardiac inflammation.
Following the advice of the country’s Superior Health Council, Moderna vaccines were reallocated for booster doses. Half the standard dose would be injected to Belgians between 18 and 30 years old. Joris Moonens, spokesman for the country’s care and health agency, said the Moderna vaccine “will be used for the rest of the booster vaccination campaign unless the scientific insights into its use change.”
Gudrun Briat, spokeswoman for Belgium’s vaccination task force, said the move was based on research showing a higher risk of cardiac inflammation. She told Brussels Times: “The decision for the basic vaccination of 18- to 30-year-olds is based on international knowledge of possible side effects. We took this decision as a precaution.”
Briat cited international data on the Moderna vaccine’s side effects as factors for the decision. One study in Denmark showed a higher risk of myocarditis – inflammation of the heart muscle – in young men following injection with either the first or second Moderna dose compared to the Pfizer vaccine. “If there is an alternative vaccine available, it makes more sense not to take any risks,” the spokeswoman added....<<<Read More>>>....