The Health Ministry says the coronavirus vaccine, developed by the British-Swedish company AstraZeneca, will for the time being be given to people under the age of 55, but a final decision on the age limit will be made later.
"For the time being, the ministry has made a decision to follow the safest vaccination scheme - the first shipment will be used to vaccinate educators under the age of 55," Aistė Šuksta, the press representative of the Minister of Health Arūnas Dulkios, told BNS.
Minister A. Dulkys decided that before making a final decision, the conclusion of the State Medicines Control Service still needs to be received.
"The Authority has provided an overview of clinical trials. "On Friday evening, the Minister of Health signed an order obliging VVKT to submit conclusions on determining the age limit for vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine," she said.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) last week authorized the use of AstraZeneca's vaccine to vaccinate all adult citizens of European Union countries.
The agency said there is currently insufficient research to show whether the vaccine provides effective protection in people over 55, but EVA experts believe older people can be vaccinated.
Many European countries have already taken decisions on the age limit this week. Germany, France, Austria, Denmark have decided that the vaccine will vaccinate people under the age of 65, Poland provided an age limit of 60 years, Spain - 55 years.
The first shipment of AstraZeneca vaccines should reach Lithuania this weekend, but the minister's representative said she could not name the exact day and number of doses.
"The first shipment is scheduled for this weekend. (…) The date has been changed several times, therefore, without wanting to mislead the public, we will inform you immediately when the shipment will be delivered," said A. Šuksta.
"Our commitment is not to disclose the exact amount until it is delivered to Lithuania," she said.
Earlier this week, SAM informed that the first doses of this vaccine should arrive on Sunday.
Until now, Lithuanian residents are vaccinated with "Pfizer"-"BioNTech" and "Moderna" vaccines.
Author Augustas Stankevičius
