Extending interval between Covid-19 shots reduces heart inflammation risk
Vials with Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccine labels are seen in this illustration picture taken on March 19, 2021.
PHOTO: Reuters
PUBLISHED ONFebruary 24, 2022 6:42 AM
Extending the interval between the first two doses of the most widely used Covid-19 vaccines in the country to eight weeks for young men can reduce the rare risk of heart inflammation, US health officials said.
The side effect, which has been linked to both Pfizer and Moderna's Covid-19 vaccines, is higher in 12- to 39-year-old men, and therefore the eight-week interval could be optimal for some people aged 12 years and older, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday (Feb 22).
The recommended interval between the first two shots will remain three weeks for Pfizer's vaccine and four weeks for Moderna's vaccine in other population groups, the CDC said.
Myocarditis is a rare side effect seen with mRNA vaccines - the technology behind both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna shots. It appears to be more common among young men.