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In case you wondered if Germany thinks 60 year olds have had a pretty good innings so they can receive the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine, you are wrong. The fact is that immunity declines as we get older making the elderly more susceptible to serious illness and death from COVID than younger people.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn and the 16 state health ministers on Tuesday decided to suspend the routine use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for people under age 60 at an emergency meeting.
Authorities in the cities of Berlin and Munich had earlier decided to limit the use of the vaccine.
People under 60 can still receive the shot, but only “at the discretion of doctors, and after individual risk analysis and thorough explanation,” according to a document seen by the DPA news agency.
DW.com
It’s not just Germany. WHO Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS) has reviewed reports of rare cases of blood clots with low platelets following vaccination with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine (including Covishield) since their onset a few weeks ago and issued a statement.
A reduction in platelets can be linked to autoimmune disease and if you have experience of an autoimmune disease such as Idiopathic Thombocytopenic Purpura or a variant, you will know the culprit is unidentifiable, otherwise known as idiopathic.
Based on current information, a causal relationship between the vaccine and the occurrence of blood clots with low platelets is considered plausible but is not confirmed. Specialised studies are needed to fully understand the potential relationship between vaccination and possible risk factors.
Interim Statement of the WHO
The truth of the matter is that anyone who receives a COVID vaccine is part of the public testing programme. In the UK, 300 children received the AstraZeneca vaccine last February and Phase III clinical trials of the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine will end in February 2023.
A safety committee, the agency said Wednesday, concluded that “unusual blood clots with low blood platelets should be listed as very rare side effects” of the vaccine.
Regulators stressed that the benefits of the vaccine, which was shown to be 76% effective at preventing Covid infections in a large U.S.-based study, still outweigh its risks. “This vaccine has proven to be highly effective to prevent severe disease and hospitalization,” said Emer Cooke, the EMA’s executive director. “And it is saving lives.”
Stat News
Beats me how the WHO can describe unusual blood clots with low blood platelets as “very rare side effects” well before testing is concluded. However, Germany decided caution was the better way forward on the subject of vaccine safety.
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