This Friday, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has authorized the vaccine developed by the Oxford University and AstraZeneca. It is the third remedy to which the highest authority of the Old Continent has given the green light after those of Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna.
Despite doubts about whether it was convenient to inject it in people over 65, the EMA has finally recommended them too for this group. This remedy has been inoculated since the beginning of January in the United Kingdom and So far no adverse effects have been reported.
Reports from the British regulatory agency
As reflected in the information published by the Regulatory Agency for Medicines and Health Products of the British country, its safety has been tested in an interim analysis of pooled data from four clinical trials carried out in the United Kingdom, Brazil and South Africa thanks to which it is known what adverse effects it can cause.
The total sample of participants was 23,745 people. Thus, 12,021 received at least one dose of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca. As the document explains, “lMost adverse reactions were mild to moderate in severity and generally resolved within days of vaccination. On day 7, the incidence of subjects with at least one local or systemic reaction was four and 13 percent, respectively. Compared to the first dose, adverse reactions reported after the second dose were milder and less frequent“.
In the event of these mild reactions, the British agency indicates that “if necessary, analgesic and / or antipyretic medications can be used to provide symptomatic relief from adverse reactions after vaccination “.
Possible reactions
The reactions very frequent son headache, nausea, myalgia, tenderness, warmth, itching, erythema or bruising at the site of infection, chills or fatigue, and general malaise. For its part, among the frequent stand out the vomiting, fever, or bruising at the injection site.
In the case of uncommon adverse reactions, the lymphadenopathy, decreased appetite, dizziness, skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders, and musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders.
Spain will study its use in people over 65 years of age
According to the newspaper The country, the Ministry of Health will study whether to administer this vaccine in those over 65 years of age. After approval by the EMA, it will be the health authorities of each country those that determine if this group is supplied. This has happened for example in Germany, where the Robert Koch Institute has recommended not to do so in said territory. Although trials have shown safety in this group, the sample was not significant enough to corroborate its effectiveness.