[ad_1]
keystone-sda.ch
Things are going from bad to worse for Astrazeneca in Germany. The Permanent Commission on Vaccination (Stiko) recommends that people under the age of 60 receive an mRNA vaccine for a second vaccination. To date, it has been recommended around the world to administer both doses of the same vaccine.
Stiko also writes, “as yet there is no scientific evidence on the safety and efficacy of a mixed series of vaccines.” But it seems to the commission that the risk is less than taking two hits with Astrazeneca.
Instead, “one dose of an mRNA vaccine 12 weeks after the first vaccination” is recommended until relevant data are available. Pfizer and Moderna make mRNA vaccines.
Merkel knew for a long time
Meanwhile, the ZDF reports that Angela Merkel (66) had anticipated the measure long before Tuesday’s decision to stop vaccinating AstraZeneca in people under 60 years old. Consequently, Merkel was informed last Friday that there would have to be a stop for certain age groups “in all probability”, as there had been 31 cases of sinus vein thrombosis.
Nine people died from it. Then, the chancellor asked other experts to make sure of her decision, as confirmed by a government spokeswoman to the television network. The European Medicines Agency will discuss the safety of the vaccine again next week.
Rename to get rid of the image
Astrazeneca recently announced that it would change the name of the vaccine. To eliminate the bad image, the vaccine will be marketed in the EU under the name ‘Vaxzevria. Until now, the preparation has been known as the “Covid-19 AstraZeneca Vaccine”.
While Switzerland hasn’t even approved Astrazeneca, other countries show no concerns. In the UK, more than ten million cans of Astrazeneca have been inoculated. In response to the German precautionary measures, British Housing Minister Robert Jenrick said he saw no reason to question the use of the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford.
The government has 100 percent confidence in the effectiveness of the drug and this has been confirmed by several studies, the UK Medicines Agency and recent research. (vof)
Published: 04/01/2021, 10:05 pm
Last Updated: April 1, 2021, 11 minutes ago
