Germany’s vaccine advisory board issued a recommendation on Wednesday against using Moderna’s Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine in individuals under 30.
The Standing Commission on Vaccination, a group of health experts that develops national recommendations for vaccine policy, said only Pfizer’s Comirnaty vaccine should be used for individuals under the age of 30 and pregnant women.
“Current reporting analysis shows that heart muscle and pericardial inflammation in boys and young men and in girls and young women under 30 years of age were observed more frequently after vaccination with Spikevax than after vaccination with Comirnaty,” a translation of STIKO’s recommendation reads. “People aged 30 and over have no increased risk of developing myocarditis and pericarditis after vaccination with Spikevax.”
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STIKO also said that even if one received a different vaccine in their initial shot, further vaccinations should be carried out with the Pfizer vaccine. STIKO does not have the ability to ban or restrict vaccines in Germany, only issuing recommendations. The Paul-Ehrlich-Institut heads vaccine regulations in Germany.
The move comes a day after France’s vaccine advisory board, The Haute Autorite de Sante, also made a similar recommendation for the Pfizer vaccine for individuals under 30 instead of the Moderna vaccine. Like STIKO, HAS is just an advisory board and not in charge of vaccine regulations. The board said the risk of very rare cases of myocarditis in people under 30 appears to be five times lower from the Pfizer vaccine than Moderna’s.
These recommendations come amid a rise in reported COVID-19 cases and deaths in Europe.
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Despite the recent statements from HAS and STIKO, the European Medicines Agency, which serves as the drug regulator for the European Union, issued a statement Wednesday that it will evaluate the use of the Moderna vaccine in children ages 6 to 8. It anticipates a recommendation in about two months.
Experts say myocarditis from the COVID-19 vaccines remains very rare. Over 432 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been given in the United States alone. The vaccines underwent rigorous safety inspections and clinical trials before being approved for public use. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discusses some of these safety procedures on their website.
