The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has called for a warning to be given on the Novavax Wuhan coronavirus vaccine over two possible heart-related side effects in those who take the vaccine.
The EMA stated that the Novavax vaccine, which is a traditional protein-based vaccine rather than an mRNA-based vaccine, should be labelled with a warning over possible side effects of two different types of heart inflammation.
According to a report from the news agency Reuters, the EMA wishes to list myocarditis and pericarditis as possible side effects of taking the vaccine, side effects that have also been seen in mRNA vaccines, particularly among younger males.
Risks of myocarditis have led some governments to halt certain vaccines for certain groups, including France, which halted Moderna vaccine doses for those under 30 in November of last year.
United States Senator Rand Paul also expressed concerns about myocarditis among young people after taking the vaccines in January, stating, “I believe it’s medical malpractice to force vaccines on children, particularly adolescent males.”
“We now have the scientific evidence that shows the risk of myocarditis for young males is greater for the vaccine than it is for the disease. We also know that the disease — the death rate is closer to one in a million,” he added.
“We will work with the relevant regulators to assure our product information is consistent with our common interpretation of the incoming data,” Novavax said in a statement.
The EMA recommendation comes just weeks after the agency noted severe allergic reactions to the Novavax vaccine as possible side effects. Since being approved in December in the EU, around 250,000 doses of the Novavax vaccine have been given.
While the Novavax vaccine has been available in the EU and in Canada for months, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) only approved the vaccine for adults last month.
“If you have been waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine built on a different technology than those previously available, now is the time to join the millions of Americans who have been vaccinated,” CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky said.
Follow Chris Tomlinson on Twitter at @TomlinsonCJ or email at ctomlinson(at)breitbart.com.
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