Belgium Restricts AstraZeneca Covid Vaccine To Over 55s

Brussels:

Belgium on Wednesday introduced it’s proscribing AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine to over 55s solely, following a discovering by the EU’s medicine regulator of a hyperlink with uncommon types of blood clots.

The suspension of the jab for adults aged 18 to 55 is predicated on “recent scientific advice,” the well being ministry mentioned in an announcement, including that folks in that age bracket can be supplied jabs from BioNTech/Pfizer or Moderna as an alternative.

Unlike another EU nations, Belgium had not beforehand restricted the usage of AstraZeneca for adults, adhering to a suggestion from the European Medicines Agency, which finds its profit outweighs the dangers. 

The assertion mentioned that the change in Belgium “will have little to no impact on the vaccination campaign under way, as elderly people are currently being vaccinated”.

It mentioned the choice, made in an interministerial assembly earlier Wednesday, shall be reviewed in 4 weeks’ time.

Explaining the choice, the well being ministry mentioned that the AstraZeneca vaccine “significantly reduces the risks of hospitalisation and death” in folks aged 56 and over.

Under that age, the advantages of the AstraZeneca jab had been nonetheless “large” however that various vaccines had been more and more out there and supplied a greater profit/danger ratio.

It estimated that, in Belgium, there was a theoretical danger of a uncommon blood clot after an AstraZeneca injection for 1.4 instances per 700,000 doses within the over-55 age vary.

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