Social media users are falsely claiming that Europe has completely banned the use of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in young people.
Examples can be seen here and here .
The posts link to a video with the headline: “Europe COMPLETELY BANS the Moderna Vaccine for Young People Due to HIGH RISK of Heart Inflammation.”
The video includes a mix of opinion and the claim that Sweden and Denmark paused COVID-19 vaccines for young people due to high risk of heart inflammation. This is partly false, since only some countries in Europe have paused the use of the vaccine.
The Swedish health agency said on Oct. 6, 2021 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 who had been vaccinated. Those conditions involve an inflammation of the heart or its lining (here).
Denmark said that while it used the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine as its main option for people aged 12-17 years, it had decided to pause giving the Moderna vaccine to people below 18 according to a "precautionary principle" (here).
Sweden and Denmark said they now recommended the Comirnaty vaccine, from Pfizer/BioNTech, instead (here).
Finland joined in a day later, and Mika Salminen, director of the Finnish health institute, said Finland would instead give Pfizer's vaccine to men born in 1991 and later. Finland offers shots to people aged 12 and over (here).
Iceland is using the vaccine almost exclusively as a booster for those 60 years and older, and advising men aged 18-39 against receiving Moderna’s vaccine (here).
Italy’s Health Minister Roberto Speranza told reporters Italy was not planning to suspend the Moderna vaccine and said European countries should work together more closely to coordinate better.
Other European countries still authorize Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for those over the age of 12, as seen here and here .
VERDICT
Partly false. The use of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine has been paused in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland for use in young people.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here .
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