The British authorities have decided to offer
an alternative to AstraZeneca's anti-Covid vaccine
no longer only to people under 30, but to all under 40s. This was announced by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization, a scientific body that assists the government by Boris Johnson on the vaccination campaign.
According to updated data, no more than 242 cases of rare thrombosis have been recorded in the Kingdom out of 28.5 million people vaccinated with AstraZeneca, but the percentage appears slightly higher among the youngest.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) recommendation to the UK government and health authorities is now essentially to restrict the use of AstraZeneca for reasons of extreme caution
only to those aged 40 and over
. A recommendation which, moreover, notes the BBC, also reflects a situation in which supplies of this vaccine to the United Kingdom have been reduced, while new supplies have been agreed with Pfizer and Moderna.
"Security - underlined Professor Wei Shen Lim, one of the leaders of the JCVI - remains our number one priority. And while the rate of contagion from Covid 19 continues to be under control (in the Kingdom), we now suggest offering to all people between 19 and 39 years of age, even without pre-existing medical conditions, an alternative to the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine where available ".
The academician then reiterated that the relationship between risks and benefits of all authorized vaccines remains enormously in favor of the latter. But he added that the opportunity to choose among the under 40s is considered useful at this stage in the face of the fear that the updated data on AstraZeneca could induce some of the younger ones to hesitate to get vaccinated and "cause delays" in the immunization campaign. .
Nearly 52 million doses have been administered in
the UK
so far
and the aim is to ensure at least a first dose for all adults over 18 years old residing no later than 31 July.
