Germany suspends AstraZeneca for under 60s
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Germany has suspended the administration of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for persons under 60 years, citing brain blood clot concerns.
DW reported on Tuesday that an emergency meeting between German Health Minister Jens Spahn and the 16 state health ministers resolved to suspend the routine inoculation, and only recommended the jab under prescriptions of medics.
The media reported that a document highlighting resolutions of the meeting said the jab could only be administered “at the discretion of doctors, and after individual risk analysis and thorough explanation.”
The authorities based their decision on the trials that found AstraZeneca effective for people who are vulnerable to severe illness.
Beside this, the German authorities were alarmed by fresh cases of blood clots which were noted in female recipients younger than 60 years.
“The positive message is that the vaccine from AstraZeneca should continue to be vaccinated for people who have reached the age of 60,” said Klaus Holetschek. the chairman of the health ministers’ conference and Bavaria’s health minister.
“The studies continue to show that this is a vaccine that is effective against severe bouts of the disease. We need it to be effective in the face of the third wave and dangerous viral mutations, we need it to move forward quickly,” he was further quoted by DW.
According to the German press, the country’s vaccine commission STIKO published the guidelines of issuing the vaccine to those above 60 years but added the decision was made “on the basis of currently available data on the occurrence of rare, but very serious thrombosis-related side-effects.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel defended the decision saying it is good to be sceptical to address the health concerns.
“Trust comes from the knowledge that every suspicion, every single case will be looked into,” she said.
Last month, some European countries suspended the issuance of the Astra vaccines as they lamented deadly cases of blood clots.
European Medicines Agency and World Health Organisation (WHO) later on cleared the panic by declaring the vaccine beneficial on principle that its benefits outweigh the risk.
