The chancellor of the Ministry of Health, Jurgita Grebenkovienė, states that residents who have been vaccinated with AstraZeneca's Vaxzevria vaccine will not be given the opportunity to revaccinate with another manufacturer's vaccine. She also emphasizes that the ministry decided not to change the vaccination procedure with the "Vaxzevria" vaccine, taking into account the still bad epidemiological situation in the country and assessing the fact that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks.
"After evaluating the information provided by the State Medicines Control Service about the registered adverse reactions to the Vaxzervia vaccine, as well as taking into account the recommendations of the European Medicines Agency, the epidemiological situation in the country, which is still of concern, we made a decision to continue the Vaxzevria vaccination in the same order, as it was until now. This means that all residents over the age of 18 will be able to choose this vaccine," said J. Grebenkovienė at the press conference organized by the Ministry of Health (SAM).
The Chancellor of the Ministry of Health also informed that AstraZeneca vaccinators who want to revaccinate with another manufacturer's vaccine will not be given such an opportunity.
"Vaccine manufacturers do not provide in their information leaflets the possibility that the second dose of the vaccine could be from another manufacturer, nor has a decision been made in our country to allow the population to choose another manufacturer's vaccine." So there is no such possibility yet," she explained.
J. Grebenkovienė also emphasized that currently the benefits of AstraZeneca's Vaxzevria vaccine outweigh the risks. However, she admitted that, as the epidemiological situation in the country improves, the decisions regarding Vaxzevria vaccination may be changed.
"Currently in Lithuania we have an average exposure to the virus. (…) This means that, in the case of a high prevalence of the virus, the benefits outweigh the risks, both in terms of hospitalization and treatment in the intensive care unit, and in terms of death prevention. Of course, as the situation in the country improves, this decision may be reconsidered, and we will assess the situation and adverse reactions accordingly," she said.
ELTA reminds that SAM has decided to continue vaccination with AstraZeneca's vaccine in the same order as it was applied from the beginning. This means that the Vaxzevria vaccine will continue to be available to all residents from the age of 18, and Lithuania remains among the ten European Union countries that do not apply additional age restrictions for this vaccine. Germany has already decided to waive additional restrictions, having previously prescribed this vaccine only to persons over 60 years of age.
Limiting the age of vaccination with the Vaxzevria vaccine is also not recommended by the EVA, which concluded that the benefits of this vaccine in combating the spread of the COVID-19 disease continue to outweigh the risks of possible side effects from the vaccine in adults of all age groups. According to the agency, Vaxzevria is effective in preventing hospitalizations, intensive care unit treatment and deaths due to the disease of COVID-19. As the number of infections increases, so does the benefit of the vaccine.
The latest research conducted in Ireland shows that 1 million There are 4-10 very rare side effects and one death in the population vaccinated with the Vaxzevria vaccine. 270 thousand people were vaccinated with this vaccine in Lithuania. population, the number of possible extremely rare effects is correspondingly lower.
For Vaxzevria vaccination, SAM continues to recommend a 12-week gap between the first and second doses of the vaccine. Studies have shown that after a longer interval, more antibodies are formed in the human body and a stronger immunity is formed, thus ensuring the maximum benefit of the vaccine.
Gailė Jaruševičiūtė (ELTA)
