The AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine will be given to Spaniards between the ages of 60 and 69. That was decided this Thursday by the Spanish health ministry's public health commission after yesterday the Autonomous Communities, in agreement with the ministry, decided to suspend vaccination with the AZ shots to people under 60 years of age. This is a second change in the vaccination strategy in less than 24 hours: until Wednesday, AstraZeneca was being administered to people up to 65 years old, without any age limit specified in regulations.
The decision to temporarily stop vaccination in those under 60 came after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) reported on the link between vaccinations with the British-Swedish pharmaceutical and cases of rare thrombosis detected in individuals who had had the shots. After studying the cases of blood clots, the EMA found on Wednesday that there was a "possible link with very rare cases of unusual blood clots with low blood platelets."
Spanish decisions on AstraZeneca vaccine use
However, at a press conference, EMA representatives pointed out that the benefits continued to outweigh the possible risks of vaccination and urged European states not to stop administering AstraZeneca jabs due to the great impact on control of the pandemic. Shortly afterwards, however, the UK spoke out from outside the EU asserting that doses of this pharmaceutical should only be given to people over 30 years of age. According to a British government committee, the risk balance is not as clear in young people, as it is a group with low mortality from Covid-19.
The AstraZeneca vaccine will be given to people between the ages of 60 and 69 in Spain. / EFE
With all this information, Spain's Interterritorial Health Council met on Wednesday. After hours of discussion, minister Carolina Darias appeared at 11pm to announce the temporary suspension of vaccination in those under the age of 60. She also announced that the ministry's public health commission would evaluate the widening of the threshold today. And so it has been: people aged 60 to 69 will now be the ones to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine in Spain.
And those under 60 who've had a first AZ shot?
The controversy affecting AstraZeneca have not ceased to interfere with the vaccination strategy. Until now, people who worked in essential services and were under 65 were receiving doses of AstraZeneca. In total, 2,311,171 have already received the first dose of this vaccine in Spain, but only 119 have the complete guideline with the two doses inoculated.
So what about people under the age of 60 who have already received one of the doses? It has yet to be determined. According to vaccination guidelines, the second AZ dose can be given up to twelve weeks after receiving the first. There is thus a margin of time to decide. Catalan researcher Beatriz Mothe told radio station RAC-1 today that if the first shot has been given without problems, it is exceedingly unlikely that a thrombosis would occur after the second shot.