Spain has suspended the application of the AstraZeneca vaccine in children under 60 – Telam

Spain decided on Wednesday to suspend the application of the AstraZeneca vaccine against the coronavirus in children under the age of 60 and to reserve it for people between that age and 65 years after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) had found a “possible link” with rare cases of thrombi.

Until now, most of the 2.1 million doses of the drug intended for the population under 65 were applied to essential workers, such as teachers and professors, with no age limit, and had also started to be administered. general population between 60 and 65 years old.

The decision was adopted by the Ministry of Health out of “precautionary principle”, after meeting its European counterparts. In mid-March in Europe, several cases of thrombosis were reported, which had been detected mainly in women under the age of 60 who had received doses of AstraZeneca, which led 15 countries to discontinue their vaccination plans .

In an initial analysis, the EMA had determined that the vaccine was “safe and effective”, although the causal link with the ten rare cases of thrombi could not be excluded, but after a new study, the body asked the ‘addition of clots. blood as “very rare side effects” on the package insert.

Although the agency also concluded that the benefits continue to outweigh the risks and advised to continue administering the Anglo-Swedish society’s antidote with no age limit, the health ministry decided to change the strategy for applying this vaccine.

Approved by the Interterritorial Council, The Minister of Health Carolina Darias proposed to the autonomous communities that in Spain the vaccination of under 60s be stopped and she indicated that the Public Health Commission will analyze the procedure with people over 65, vaccinated up to ‘now with Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. .

Only Madrid spoke out against the proposal, arguing that there are “many changes” with the schedule of this vaccine, according to sources quoted by the newspaper El Pas.

However, regional sources added that they did not share the Health Ministry’s proposal “because it is not based on the conclusions of the European Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC)” of the EMA.

Spain then joined Germany and the Netherlands, which limited the use of the AstraZeneca antigen only to people over the age of 60.

At the same time, the UK has recommended not vaccinating those under 30 with the Anglo-Swedish vaccine and Belgium has proposed limiting its use only to those over 55, while Italy suggests limiting it to those under the age of 55. 60 years old.