BERLIN.- Germany will only generally administer the AstraZeneca vaccine to people over 60 years of age, as agreed by the federal government and regional powers, given the side effects and some cases of thrombosis detected.
The measure follows the recommendation of the Permanent Commission on Vaccination (Stiko), based on “existing data on side effects that are rare, but serious”, but does contemplate, however, the possibility of applying the vaccine to minors after a “Individual evaluation of each case”, according to information from the German public television ARD.
The decision comes after several “Länder” suspended this Tuesday the administration of this vaccine to children under 60 years of age, which was followed by the call for a meeting between the Chancellor, Angela Merkel, the Minister of Health, Jens Spahn, and regional leaders.
The Stiko, attached to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) of virology, competent in the matter in the country, warned that these side effects can manifest between 4 and 16 days after a dose has been administered to people under 60 years of age.
The meeting of the chancellor and regional leaders was called after some “Länder” – among them, the city-state of Berlin – decided to suspend the administration of the Anglo-Swedish vaccine to those under 60 years of age.
Merkel herself had spoken out on Sunday against another meeting with the leaders of the “Länder” before Easter, after harsh criticism of some regional powers for not applying with the rigor due to previously agreed restrictions, while contagion increased.
The announcement of the Berlin regional government was followed in a cascade by the suspension of this vaccine for those under 60 years of age in Munich, Brandenburg – the “Land” that surrounds the capital – and North Rhine-Westphalia (west).
Dilek Kalayci, head of Health of the Berlin regional government, justified his decision in the existence of new data on side effects of the preparation.
One of the large hospitals in Berlin, the Charité, had reported that “although there have been no complications after vaccinations with Astrazeneca”, it wanted to act as a precaution.
The group of Vivantes clinics joined this decision, where thousands of its workers have been vaccinated with the serum of the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company.
Some 19,000 people are employed at the Charité, while the Vivantes clinics – which also manage residences for the elderly – employ about 17,000.
According to Berlin media estimates, two thirds of the staff at the Charité have been vaccinated, 70% of them with the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The Paul-Ehrlich Institute, the reference center for vaccination in Germany, detected, according to the weekly “Der Spiegel”, 31 cases of thrombosis in people who received the AstraZeneca vaccine, nine of whom died.
As in other European countries, vaccination with AstraZeneca was temporarily suspended in Germany for a few weeks due to concerns about its side effects, but was resumed on March 19.
According to RKI data, some 2.7 million people have received this vaccine.
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