Manitoba recommends that those aged 12 to 29 get Pfizer COVID vaccine

A health-care worker holds a vial of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, in this Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021, file photo. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

The medical lead of Manitoba’s Vaccine Implementation Task Force said the province is recommending that individuals aged 12 to 29 get the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

Dr. Joss Reimer announced the recommendation at a news conference on Wednesday, saying it comes after the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) updated its recommendations for mRNA vaccines for young people.

“NACI continues to recommend that a complete series with an mRNA vaccine, such as Pfizer or Moderna, is preferable over receiving a viral vector vaccine, such as AstraZeneca or Janssen,” she said.

“Out of an abundance of caution and in a setting of robust supply, we are now recommending that whenever possible, young people aged 12 to 29 get Pfizer for their first and second doses and probably even for their booster doses.”

She said this is because the risk of myocarditis, which is a rare and temporary swelling of heart tissues, appears to be even lower with Pfizer than it is with Moderna.

Reimer added that Moderna is still a safe and effective option, and young people can still get it if only Moderna is available to them or if they are more comfortable with Moderna.

“I want to be very clear that we are not saying Pfizer is better than Moderna,” she said.

“In fact, in some ways, newer evidence is showing that Moderna may have some benefits over Pfizer in long-term protection.”

Reimer emphasized that the risk of myocarditis is “much higher” from a COVID-19 infection than it is from a COVID-19 vaccine.

“The severity of myocarditis related to infection is much greater than related to those that happen after the vaccine,” she said.

Reimer said the risk of myocarditis after vaccination is low, but the province wants it to be as low as possible.