Lithuania resumes vaccination against AstraZeneca: Top Lithuanian leaders will vaccinate on Monday, allowing others to choose the vaccine



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There will be changes

A.Dulkys urged the public to contact family physicians if unexpected signs and symptoms appear.

“How things will happen from tomorrow: There are four changes,” said A. Dulkys.

According to the minister, people will now be able to choose a vaccine from the vaccines currently available at the vaccination center. If the desired vaccine is not available, the resident will be contacted at another time. “From now on, everyone can choose if they want to get vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine,” said A. Dulkys.

Another change is that vaccination centers will be able to speed up the transition from one priority group to another, and the procedure is scheduled to be signed on Thursday.

Photo by Sigismund Gedvila / 15min / Arūnas Dulkys

Photo by Sigismund Gedvila / 15min / Arūnas Dulkys

“The third change is that from now on the vaccines will be distributed to the centers, municipalities, not only according to the number of certain population groups, but also according to the vaccination rates of that vaccination center.

The fourth change is that if some municipalities do not use the doses of vaccines received, their redistribution to other municipalities and other vaccination centers will be considered ”, said A. Dulkys.

Senior executives will be vaccinated

The Minister also intends to sign an order on Thursday evening to supplement the groups of people to be vaccinated, including the President, members of the Seimas and members of the Government.

“To show confidence in the AstraZeneca vaccine, we agreed that on Monday the President of the Republic of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, the President of Seimas Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė and I will be vaccinated. We invite you to show confidence in this. vaccinate and vaccinate all members of the Seimas and the Government with our example ”, said A. Dulkys.

EVA: the vaccine is safe

The EEA announced that it was unanimously concluded that the AstraZeneca vaccine was safe and not associated with blood thrombosis.

“The committee has come to a clear scientific conclusion: this vaccine is safe and effective,” EEA Director Emer Cooke told a news conference, citing a study by the agency’s vaccine safety committee.

“The committee also concluded that the vaccine was not associated with an overall increased risk of thromboembolism or blood clots,” he added.

Commenting on the EVA findings, Gytis Andrulionis, head of the State Medicines Control Agency, said that the signal of blood clotting problems had been assessed and it was agreed that the benefits of the vaccine to combat the spread of COVID-19 they continue to outweigh the risks of possible side effects.

Photo by Sigismund Gedvila / 15min / Gytis Andrulionis

Photo by Sigismund Gedvila / 15min / Gytis Andrulionis

“The vaccine is not associated with an increased risk of blood clots or thromboembolic events. It has also been confirmed from the group of biological drugs that quality problems are not present either. However, it has been shown that the vaccine may be associated with extremely rare cases of blood clotting disorders associated with thrombocytopenia, including low platelet counts, including very rare cases of cerebral sinus venous thrombosis.

However, these cases are extremely rare and it is estimated that out of nearly 20 million people vaccinated with AstraZeneca, EVA recorded and reviewed seven cases of multiple blood clotting disorders and 18 cases of cerebral sinus thrombosis, ”said G. Andrdrionis.

He also stressed that the association of these extremely rare blood clotting disorders with the vaccine had not been proven, but it was now decided that this could not be ruled out.

“Those cases were said to be extremely rare, much rarer than other contraindications, other warnings. Therefore, it is proposed to supplement the vaccine documentation with warnings and precautions. It is now recommended to continue vaccination as most have been received. of the answers to the questions posed. It was agreed to take additional measures to ensure pharmacovigilance and safety, “said G. Anddrulionis.

He promised that there would be a lot more information to pay attention to after receiving this vaccine. Additional surveillance measures are being introduced and this is expected to help decide who has doubts.

Vaccination and non-priority groups

The minister said that the freer vaccination movement in particular would be launched through existing priority groups, as there are known to be many, many people in those groups who do not refuse to be vaccinated with AstraZeneca.

Others who do not yet belong to the currently identified priority groups may receive the vaccine at a later date.

A.Dulkys said it will soon be clear when everyone will be able to get vaccinated; According to the new scheme, after going through the priority groups and not finding as many people there as AstraZeneca vaccinations, everyone will be able to receive vaccinated.

The vaccine is taken seriously

Marius Strioga, an oncologist at the National Cancer Institute and doctor of biomedical sciences, said it was good and gratifying news – it showed that vaccine safety was taken seriously.

The benefits of this vaccine sometimes outweigh its hypothetical risks and that vaccine should not be stopped.

“Until now, there have been many claims from ‘anti-vaccines’ and other hostile people that there are attempts to push unsafe, untested and possibly experimental vaccines to maximize safety from the risk of vaccination. It is we who now see perfectly Well, this is not being done Representatives of the highest authorities are summoned at the slightest suspicion, even in the absence of scientific justification.

The safety profile is taken very seriously, ”said M. Tririoga.

According to him, no relationship was found between these complications and the vaccine, where thromboembolic and thrombotic complications were less common than usual. Her doctor reminded her that the risk of thrombosis and other blood clotting problems increases dramatically when you contract COVID-19.

“The benefits of this vaccine sometimes outweigh its hypothetical risks and that vaccine should not be discontinued. Because if it makes it more difficult, slower, slows down the vaccination campaign to achieve public immunity, we will have much more painful consequences,” said M. Strioga.

Four messages

In Lithuania, four reports of adverse reactions were received after vaccination with AstraZeneca.

There were three reports of serious adverse events: one for thrombophlebitis and two for established or suspected pulmonary embolism, that is, retention of clots in the pulmonary vasculature.

An additional report of similar effects was subsequently received after vaccination with AstraZeneca. Three of these people are treated in hospitals and one is discharged for treatment at home.

On Thursday, A. Dulkys told LRT radio that it is being considered allowing everyone who wants to get vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine after resuming vaccination.

Health Minister Arūnas Dulkys announced at a press conference on Tuesday night that AstraZeneca will not be vaccinated temporarily.

The minister said then that he had received a recommendation from the State Medicines Control Agency (IARC) that, as in other European Union countries, recommended a temporary suspension of vaccination against AstraZeneca until the European Medicines Agency (EMA) issue the final conclusions. about the safety of the vaccine.

So far, Lithuania has received 115.7 thousand. AstraZeneca vaccine dose of approximately 74,000 people. The last shipment arrived on March 12, amounting to 14.4 thousand. doses already distributed to municipalities.

If you have any questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, please send them to our editorial staff by email. email address [email protected].



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