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As it was told 15 minutes Reader, she received the AstraZeneca vaccine at Šeškinė Polyclinic on March 29, so she had to receive the second vaccine on a preliminary basis 12 weeks later, on June 21.
That date was also indicated in the brochure provided to you, as at that time the institution had not yet sent short SMS messages about the date of the booster shot.
However, on Thursday, the woman unexpectedly received a message inviting her to receive a second dose of the vaccine already this Saturday, May 15, just over 6 weeks after the first vaccination against AstraZeneca.
Photo by Saulius Žiūra / Vaccination of doctors from Vilnius City Clinical Hospital against COVID-19
The woman said she had no plans to advance the vaccination date and wanted to wait the 12 weeks recommended by the Ministry of Health (SAM) and the vaccine manufacturer to obtain the fullest possible immunity after full vaccination.
“There is no time adjustment in the registration system, there are no free times and in general registration is only possible one week in advance.
It would be interesting to know the arguments of the Vilnius municipality and the explanation of how Vilnius residents should behave, who still want to follow the recommendations for the second vaccination dose after 12 weeks, as recommended by SAM. Will canceling the vaccination time now not cause any problems later? “, I ask.
More people fall into this situation, as later became clear on the official Facebook page of the Šeškinė polyclinic.
Why did this happened?
How 15 minutes The Vilnius City Municipality reported on the transfer of revaccination times from Šeškinė Polyclinic to Litexpo, residents whose revaccination was scheduled for the end of May and June were mistakenly sent information that the revaccination would take place this end of week.
However, even in case of error, vaccines for the population are said to be planned and encouraged to arrive earlier.
Sigismund Gedvila / 15min photo / Vaccination center at the Litexpo Palace
“The schedules and the vaccination are planned for this weekend, so those residents who are fit for the new time and have the opportunity to come this weekend will be eager to come.
It is worth mentioning that Vilnius will not receive such large amounts of AstraZeneca vaccines until June, so those who were scheduled to be vaccinated at the end of May are especially welcome to come this weekend.
Residents who were scheduled for the booster vaccination in June and cannot or do not want to arrive this weekend will receive SMS messages today inviting them to receive the booster vaccination in June, ”the municipality responded.
If questions arise, residents are encouraged to call the outpatient clinic reception.
Explained what to do
On Friday afternoon, the Šeškinė polyclinic detailed who and when should go to the Litexpo building to receive the second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and who does not yet belong:
- If the first vaccine has been administered March 2-8., revaccination is scheduled for May 15. Come this day, but if you really can’t, contact the reception of the Šeškinė Polyclinic, tel. 8,550,000;
- If the first vaccine has been administered March 9-15 And now you have received a message inviting you to get vaccinated on May 15, come to LITEXPO and you will be vaccinated. Another possible date for the booster vaccination is May 31. People who do not get to be vaccinated on May 15 should wait for a new SMS with the exact time;
- If the first vaccine has been administered March 22-April 14 and now you have received a misleading message inviting you to come to LITEXPO on May 15 unaccustomed. Possible reinforcement dates are June 14 or 28. Wait for the SMS with the exact time.
Vaccination allowed before
The second dose of AstraZeneca in Lithuania is usually given after 12 weeks, after the maximum period specified by the manufacturer.
The minimum time after which a booster dose can be given is four weeks, but in Lithuania, only graduates and educators were able to get vaccinated before 3 months.
Still, without silencing the accusations of some neighbors about the long wait time for the second vaccine, the SAM predicted some changes.
On Thursday, it said that if a longer rest negatively affected a person’s performance, the vaccination center could administer a second dose of AstraZeneca earlier, at the manufacturer’s recommended interval of 4 to 12 weeks.
But he noted that residents are encouraged to objectively assess the need to shorten the time between doses and choose the most beneficial solution for their health.
Sigismund Gedvila / 15min photo / Vaccination center at the Litexpo Palace
Immunity may be weaker
Vilnius University (VU) professor Arvydas Ambrozaitis believes that everyone should have freedom of choice and if they see the need to get the second vaccine from the AstraZeneca manufacturer before 12 weeks after the first vaccination, no problem. .
However, he said, residents should understand that, in this case, immunity is likely to be weakened.
“Clinical studies have shown that the later the second dose, the higher the antibody titer, the better the immune response, the better the protection,” noted the infectologist.
Photo from personal archive / Arvydas Ambrozaitis
AstraZeneca clinical trials have been conducted in volunteers who received a second dose of the vaccine at different intervals, 4 to 12 weeks after the first.
It was phase III clinical trials that showed that the majority of antibodies are produced when the booster vaccine is given after 3 months.
“Therefore, we recommend: the later the better. But this does not mean that it is not possible sooner, everyone can choose here,” said A. Ambrozaitis.
Therefore, we recommend: the later the better.
However, if the second dose of AstraZeneca vaccine will reduce the duration of immunity before 12 weeks, it is difficult to answer, according to A. Ambrozaitis.
“We do not know how long immunity will last because it is a new infection, a new vaccine, there are no such studies. But now we know that from 8 months on, the immunity really lasts after the second dose.
The AstraZeneca vaccine is special because 80% of the vaccine is given after the first dose. (people – 15 minutes) develops quite good immunity, but it takes the second dose to lengthen it, and it is not yet known how long it will take, because we do not have observational data, but the research is accumulating, the volunteers are being studied and they will be seen, ”said the teacher.
Low antibodies, no problem
There is a fear that the antibodies formed after the first vaccine will disappear or remain very low within three months, and the second dose may not be as effective. Perhaps in that case, the second vaccination should really be early?
According to infectologist A. Ambrozaitis, such thinking is not justified.
“In clinical trials, no antibodies disappeared after the first dose. <...> That the decrease in antibodies after the first dose is not so bad, since we also have a phenomenon such as immune memory formed by T lymphocytes.
B lymphocytes produce antibodies and T simply have the ability to remember the causative agent. If the agent re-enters, despite the absence of antibodies, the T lymphocytes recognize the virus they have already encountered and command the B lymphocytes to produce antibodies.
This phenomenon is known as immune memory, so a decrease in the amount of antibodies is not a bad thing, ”said the professor.
That the decrease in antibodies after the first dose is not so bad.
A. Ambrozaitis summarized that due to the reduced amount of antibodies, it is not necessary to rush the second dose.
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