Will it also be possible to mix COVID-19 vaccines in Poland? The Ministry of Health responds

Thrombosis after receiving the AstraZeneka vaccine is possible, although it happens very rarely, the EMA reported on April 7, still recommending the use of the preparation. In response, some countries have introduced a recommendation that in younger years (the risk of complication seems higher here), the second dose should be the BioNTech / Pfizer or Moderny vaccine. Is such a mix of COVID-19 vaccines also planned in Poland? We have a reply from the Ministry of Health.

1. On April 7, EMA officially announced the occurrence of very rare cases of blood clots following vaccination with AstraZeneca
2. The EMA continues to recommend the use of the AstraZeneki vaccine
3. In response to this information, some countries have introduced age limits for the use of AstraZeneki
4. In Germany, younger age groups who received the first dose of AstraZeneki will be vaccinated with Pfizer or Moderna for the second time.
5. The position of the Ministry of Health on vaccine mixing: no recommendations indicate such a possibility

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EMA: Blood clots are a very rare side effect of AstraZeneca

Thrombosis and its link with the AstraZeneki vaccine have become a hot topic again. Especially after the recent announcement from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which was still examining reports of the link between blood clots and the COVID-19 AstraZeneki vaccine. While in mid-March the Director of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), Emer Cooke, announced that the administration of the drug was not associated with an increase in the risk of blood clots, on April 6, the head of the agency’s vaccine evaluation team, Marco Cavaleri, admitted that “it is now becoming increasingly difficult to say, that there is no causal relationship between AstraZeneki and very rare unusual cases of blood clots ».

On April 7, the organization officially announced the occurrence of very rare cases of blood clots in combination with low platelet levels within 14 days of vaccination with AstraZeneca. Experts suspect that this very low risk mainly affects young people.

So far, it is not known exactly what causes this reaction, it is probably an immune reaction. The agency also emphasized that the benefits of using AstraZeneki in the prevention of COVID-19 outweigh the risk of side effects and continues to recommend the use of this preparation.

AstraZeneka and the risk of blood clots. Country reactions: age limits, modification of the second dose of the vaccine

A few hours after the EMA announced the announcement, the president of the Italian Healthcare Council, prof. Franco Locatelli said at a press conference that AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine should be recommended for people over the age of 60. Age limits were also recommended by other countries (age limits were different – some decided to give this vaccine to people 60+, others 55+ or 50+).

At the aforementioned conference, prof. Locatelli emphasized: – There is currently no reason not to consider giving a second dose of this preparation to people who have already received the first. This is not a “funeral” or “euthanasia” of AstraZenka vaccine. She is effective.

Some countries have recommended that younger people who were given AstraZeneka for the first dose should be vaccinated with a different reparate the second time. Examples include France and Germany. Our western neighbor had such a proposal at the beginning of April from the Standing Committee on Vaccinations. As the Deutsche Welle reported on April 14, now the health ministers of the German federal states adopted it unanimously. This means that in Germany, people under 60 who were vaccinated with AstraZeneca for the first time (about 2 million people) will receive the BioNTech / Pfizer or Moderna vaccine in the second dose. It will also be possible to give a second dose of AstraZeneka vaccine – after consulting your doctor.

1. Will the doctor decide not to vaccinate the patient with AstraZeneka?

Mixing COVID-19 vaccines possible in Poland? MZ replies

Is such a solution also being considered in Poland? We sent this question to the Ministry of Health. In the reply sent, the ministry emphasizes that «no recommendations suggest that vaccines can be mixed. There is no information about the possibility of mixing vaccines in terms of the specificity of their characteristics as products and their mechanisms of action ».

This position is in line with the opinion of the World Health Organization. – So far, there are no data on the basis of which it is possible to recommend combining different vaccines against COVID-19 – said World Health Organization expert Rogerio Gaspar on 9 April. While being used for some other diseases, blending different vaccines has not yet been the subject of comprehensive research for COVID-19 vaccines, he emphasized. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, a leading global organization fighting epidemics) also points to this, emphasizing that the safety and effectiveness of such activities have not been assessed.

Several studies are currently being conducted into the effects of mixing COVID-19 vaccines. In February, the UK began mixing analyzes of AstraZeneka and Pfizer-BioNtech. The results are expected in summer at the earliest. It is also known that research is underway to combine the AstraZeneki vaccines and the Sputnik V vaccine.

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2. “A stone fell from my heart, because in a moment I will be vaccinated”. Report from the COVID-19 vaccination point
3. AstraZenecę vaccinations safe in inflammatory diseases of the joints? The Polish Society of Rheumatologists responds

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