Norway waives AstraZeneca vaccine and suspends Johnson & Johnson vaccine

The Norwegian Government today permanently eliminated the vaccine against COVID-19 AstraZeneca for the abnormal cases of thrombosis detected and announced that it will keep Johnson & Johnson suspended.

The Norwegian Prime Minister, Erna Solberg, appealed to the good epidemic situation of coronavirus and that sufficient other vaccines – from Pfizer and Moderna – are available to justify the exclusion of the one from AstraZeneca. It also ruled out that it can be received voluntarily.

In the case of Johnson & Johnson He noted that it is necessary to have more information about the vaccine and its effects before making a final decision and opened the possibility of establishing a voluntary system once these issues are clarified.

“The Government has decided that the vaccine AstraZeneca It is not used in Norway, nor on a voluntary basis. The rare but serious effects that we have seen in Norway show that the risk does not outweigh the benefit ”, Solberg stated.

Both the Public Health Institute (FHI) and a commission of experts created later by the Government recommended eliminating both vaccines from the official program, although while the former opposes that they can be received voluntarily, the latter is in favor of a system of that type.

Denmark eliminated both vaccines

Norway thus joins Denmark, which a month ago eliminated the vaccine from AstraZeneca and a week ago that of Johnson & Johnson, for the same reasons, although the Danish authorities will allow it to be administered to those who so wish.

Both countries were the first to temporarily suspend the AstraZeneca and they developed a joint study based on their health records and the cases detected that indicates that the risk of contracting these abnormal symptoms for those who have received the vaccine is 1 in 40,000.

Solberg noted that Norway, which is part of the European Economic Area (EEA) but not of the European Union, will now study what to do with the excess doses of AstraZeneca and it was opened to the possibility that they can be distributed in poor countries through the Covax mechanism of the World Alliance for Vaccines (GAVI).

During her appearance, the prime minister also revealed other changes in the vaccination program, which will imply that the most affected municipalities receive 60% more doses and that the 18 to 25-year-old group is prioritized because it is one of those that more contribute to spread the contagion and its mobility.

Norway It is one of the countries least affected in Europe by the pandemic, with 117,494 cases and 774 deaths, with a rate of 14.4 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.