German Vaccine Commission says people under 60 should not receive second dose of AstraZeneca

A German vaccine commission is advising people under the age of 60 who have received their first dose of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine not to receive their second dose.

Reuters reported that the committee, called STIKO, recommended that people receive a dose of an mRNA-based vaccine, such as those from Pfizer / BioNTech or Moderna, 12 weeks after receiving their first dose of AstraZeneca.

“Until appropriate data are available, STIKO recommends that people under the age of 60 that instead of the second dose of AstraZeneca, one dose of an mRNA vaccine should be given 12 weeks after the first vaccine. “STIKO said, according to Reuters.

STIKO noted that there was no scientific evidence on the safety of a mixed series of vaccines, according to the wire service.

The recommendation comes after Germany suspended use AstraZeneca vaccine for people under 60 years of age because of concerns about a rare occurrence of blood clots in a small number of people who have received the vaccine.

At the time, STIKO planned to release recommendations for those who received their first dose at the end of April.

A handful of countries have suspended or suspended use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine amid reports of blood clots in a small percentage of patients.

Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization on Monday recommended that the vaccine not be used in adults under the age of 55 while investigating concerns about clotting.

European Medicines Agency said wednesday that there may have been distant blood clots, but there was no indication that the vaccine was linked to an increased risk of clotting.

AstraZeneca said end of March that his vaccine was 76% effective against symptomatic COVID-19 and that he planned to file an emergency use authorization application with the United States Food and Drug Administration.