Merkel on AstraZeneca: “Vaccines must be able to trust”

The federal government will follow STIKO’s modified age recommendation for AstraZeneca. Chancellor Merkel said confidence in vaccines is important, even if the decision rolls back the vaccination campaign.

Chancellor Angela Merkel justified the new age restrictions on the preparation of AstraZeneca with a view to reliance on corona vaccines. “Confidence stems from the knowledge that all suspicions and all individual cases will be investigated,” Merkel said after consultations with the prime ministers of the federal states. According to a corresponding assessment by the Standing Commission on Vaccination (STIKO), reports of abnormalities are very rare, but cannot be ignored.

The decision also had consequences for the entire vaccination campaign: There had to be changes in delivery schedules, and the federal, state and local governments now wanted to clarify the necessary changes along with greater participation of the practices. The logistics also have to adjust. Therefore, it is very fortunate that several different vaccines are available, Merkel said. With ever-increasing deliveries, the pandemic could be overcome step by step.

Changes starting tomorrow

Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn said changes to the age recommendation will take effect on Wednesday. One consequence of this would be that the 60-69-year-old age cohort might already be vaccinated with it, even if it wasn’t actually their turn after prioritization. “It is important to protect the elderly in this growing third wave.” Therefore, he asked to accept the existing offer of vaccination. The AstraZeneca vaccine is “very effective, especially with the elderly,” says Spahn.

It is “definitely a setback” if a vaccine turns out to carry a higher risk for a certain age group. However, the vaccine can also continue to be used in people under 60 years of age. However, this should be done “at the discretion of the physician and with an individual risk analysis after careful clarification.”

Tabs for flexibility

CDU party leader Armin Laschet still believes that many people will be vaccinated with AstraZeneca. In it daily topics He said: “Our sentiment in North Rhine-Westphalia is: a lot of people say there is minimal risk, but my concern about a corona infection is greater: I get vaccinated. At the same time, you need to be more flexible with approvals, for example if younger people decide in favor of the vaccine after medical advice.

31 cases of thrombosis

The reason for the changes is a rare but serious side effect of the vaccine: cerebral vein thrombosis occurred in several cases, especially in younger women, after vaccination. There are 31 cases, nine of which were fatal. Experts assume a causal connection.

Therefore, STIKO had adjusted its age recommendation. The federal and state ministers of health also joined in and decided to use AstraZeneca only for people 60 and over.