Germany will make a decision on what coronavirus vaccine will be used to reinoculate people aged under 60 years who received the first AstraZeneca shot in late April, Chancellor Angela Merkel said
BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st March, 2021) Germany will make a decision on what coronavirus vaccine will be used to reinoculate people aged under 60 years who received the first AstraZeneca shot in late April, Chancellor Angela Merkel said.
The chancellor recalled that the Standing Commission on Vaccinations (STIKO) planned to provide in late April additional guidelines on the procedure for administering the second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine to people below 60 after the first shot.
"I will add that by that time it will become clear what vaccine approved in Germany will be used to fully reinoculate this group of people," Merkel told reporters.
In early March, Germany suspended the rollout of the vaccine over reports on isolated cases of post-inoculation side effects, such as thrombosis. After the European Medicines Agency said it had found no evidence that the vaccine is associated with increased risks of blood clot events, Germany resumed inoculations with the drug on March 19.
On Tuesday, STIKO issued new recommendations on the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine based on currently available evidence of rare but severe thromboembolic side effects. The recommendations are yet to be discussed at the expert level, with the final decision made on Thursday. Meanwhile, German health authorities decided to halt the use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine in people under 60 years old starting March 31.
