Longer Waiting Period Between mRNA COVID-19 Doses May Cut Heart Inflammation Risk, CDC Suggests

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that younger males should consider waiting longer between doses of Pfizer Inc's PFE / BioNTech SE BNTX and Moderna Inc's MRNA COVID-19 vaccines to reduce a rare risk of heart inflammation.

The CDC said males ages 12- to 39-years-old should consider waiting eight weeks between the first and second doses of their primary COVID-19 vaccination series, writes CNBC.

In Canada, public health authorities found the risk of myocarditis in men ages 18- to 24-years-old was lower when they waited eight weeks for the second dose of Moderna or Pfizer.

The CDC recommends that other eligible individuals wait three weeks between Pfizer shots and four weeks between Moderna doses.

Related: Moderna Says COVID-19 Vax Associated With Fewer Cases Than Pfizer's, But Higher Inflammatory Heart Conditions.

The risk of myocarditis among men ages 18 to 39 is about 1.5 times higher after a second Moderna dose than with Pfizer's vaccine. 

Men ages 18 to 39 years report about 68 myocarditis cases per 1 million Moderna second doses administered, compared with 47 myocarditis cases per 1 million Pfizer second doses administered.

Price Action: PFE shares are up 2.95% at $47.32, BNTX stock is down 1.16% at $152.28, and MRNA stock is down 3.23% at $151.20 during the market session on the last check Friday.