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The World Health Organization recommendations for the use of the Oxford / AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, AZD1222, apply to all people 18 years of age and older, including the elderly.
In a briefing on Wednesday, Dr Joachim Hombach, Executive Secretary of the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization, said:
“The immune response in people over 65 is almost the same as in younger people, and that makes us very confident.”
The new recommendations were released on Wednesday and note that there are certain populations for which data is limited or no data – including children, pregnant women, breastfeeding women and other groups. “Until these data are available, vaccination of people under 18 is not recommended,” says the guide.
“The data available on AZD1222 vaccination of pregnant women are insufficient to assess the efficacy of the vaccine or the risks associated with the vaccine during pregnancy. However, it should be noted that AZD1222 is a non-replication vaccine,” he said. -he. He added that “WHO does not recommend pregnancy tests before vaccination. WHO does not recommend delaying pregnancy because of vaccination.”
For breastfeeding women, the guidelines state that “a nursing woman who is part of a group recommended for immunization, eg health workers, should be offered immunization on an equivalent basis.” He also said he did not recommend stopping breastfeeding after vaccination
At the same briefing, the WHO also recommended the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine in countries where variants of the coronavirus are circulating.
The expert advisory group looked at two aspects of variant circulation in relation to the AstraZeneca vaccine, said Dr Alejandro Cravioto, chair of the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on immunization.
United Kingdom, Cravioto said preliminary analysis showed slightly reduced efficacy against the variant spotted for the first time. The analysis also showed a limited reduction in neutralization titers, which means that the vaccine still has a good effect in protecting people infected with this variant.
In South Africa, Cravioto said preliminary analysis showed “a marked reduction” in the vaccine’s effectiveness against mild or moderate disease in a variant spotted for the first time. The analysis also showed a reduction in the levels of neutralizing antibodies. However, he said the study was small and failed to assess the vaccine against severe infection. He noted that there is indirect evidence that there is still protection against serious illness.
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