The use of AstraZeneca in Germany has stopped again in Germany

It happened, the occurrence of which has been rumored in recent days: in Germany, the use of AstraZeneca has stopped again above a certain age. AstraZeneca vaccines against a new type of coronavirus disease (SARS-CoV-2) (Covid-19) in Germany are restricted to people over 60 years of age. Angela Merkel German Chancellor, according to MTI.

The new rule will be introduced on Wednesday on the recommendation of the so-called Standing Committee on Immunization (STIKO), a panel of experts to help the federal government work on communicable disease control with recommendations.

The committee issued a new recommendation because, according to the latest scientific knowledge, the vaccine can cause blood clots in the brain in people under 60 years of age. This side effect is very rare, but very serious, Angela Merkel said.

The change caused uncertainty, but there was no other option. Data on possible side effects cannot be hidden, “swept under the rug”, and the greatest possible confidence in the vaccine can only be created through “openness and transparency,” emphasized the German chancellor.

Jens spahn The health minister added that the change could help vaccinate those over 60 more quickly, which is particularly important in the face of the third wave of epidemics that is increasing. In the second quarter from April, 15 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine could reach Germany, depending on the manufacturer’s commitment, and there will be many people over 60 who will be happy to self-administer the vaccine, the minister said. He stressed that the vaccine, developed in collaboration with the University of Oxford and the British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, is extremely effective in the elderly, even more effective than the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, according to some indicators.

As a general rule, the STIKO recommendation advises restricting the use of the vaccine to those over 60 years of age. Based on an individual decision based on detailed information about possible side effects, AstraZeneca can also be administered to people under the age of 60 with the advice of a specialist.

In late April, the panel will make another recommendation on how to vaccinate the two million people who have already been vaccinated with the first dose of AstraZeneca.

The minister said: In Germany, a temporary link between the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine and brain blood clots has so far been shown in 31 cases. Vascular damage was fatal in nine cases. Of the 31 affected, 29 are women between the ages of 20 and 63. Similar cases have occurred abroad, and Germany is not the only country where the use of the vaccine is restricted, added Jens Spahn, citing Canada as an example.

Both the Prime Minister and his Minister stressed that the change in the regulations governing the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine does not mean changing the goal of making vaccination available to everyone except children by the end of the summer, on September 22. .

For AstraZeneca, this is another blow to the face. In the past, they have been heavily criticized for late delivery of vaccines and blood clots have not increased confidence in the vaccine either. Germany had previously suspended the use of AstraZeneca in the same way as several other European countries, but after the European Medicines Agency investigated the reports and found the vaccine to be safe, they continued to get vaccinated.