Hong Kong panel advises 1 dose of BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for teens due to side effect – National
A panel of well being specialists advising the Hong Kong authorities has advisable kids aged 12-17 ought to get just one dose of BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine after reviews of coronary heart irritation unwanted side effects.
Professor Lau Yu-lung, who chairs a well being committee advising the federal government on its vaccination programme, advised public broadcaster RTHK the facet impact was extra prevalent than initially thought.
He stated specialists subsequently determined it was higher for youngsters to get just one dose to “significantly scale back the possibility of coronary heart irritation.”
The town’s Division of Well being didn’t present information on what number of instances of coronary heart irritation unwanted side effects have been reported.
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However RTHK stated that greater than 30 youngsters suffered irritation of the center because the authorities began administering the shot to these over 12 from June.
Hong Kong has been utilizing two COVID-19 vaccines together with Sinovac’s shot vaccinating adults, however youngsters are eligible to take the BioNTech vaccine solely.
Greater than 50% of these aged 12-17 have been vaccinated however the authorities has not stated what number of doses have been administered up to now.
Regulators in the US, the European Union and the World Well being Group have stated that mRNA vaccines from BioNTech/Pfizer and by Moderna are related to uncommon instances of myocarditis or pericarditis, however that the advantages of the photographs outweigh any dangers.
Myocarditis is an irritation of the center muscle that may restrict the organ’s skill to pump blood and might trigger adjustments in heartbeat rhythms. Pericarditis is an irritation of the liner across the coronary heart.
Pfizer has stated it recognised there might be uncommon reviews of myocarditis after vaccinations, however such unwanted side effects have been extraordinarily uncommon.
BioNTech and its Chinese language gross sales agent Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group didn’t instantly reply to Reuters’ requests for remark.
The chance of myocarditis was 18.5 per million doses given amongst folks aged 18 to 24 after their second Pfizer dose and 20.2 per million for that age group amongst Moderna second dose recipients. The chance decreases with age, in response to information from the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.
Round 65% of Hong Kong’s residents have had their first vaccine dose, however the take up amongst aged folks stay low as a result of considerations of unwanted side effects.
Hong Kong has largely managed the coronavirus with no domestically transmitted instances in lots of weeks. The Asian monetary hub has recorded round 12,100 instances in whole and 213 deaths.
(Reporting by Farah Grasp; Enhancing by Miyoung Kim and Lincoln Feast)
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