Silvia Gomez
07/01/2021 16:05
Clarín.com
Cities
Updated 07/01/2021 16:05
The Buenos Aires government confirmed in these hours that it will begin to test with volunteers the possibility of combining the first dose of the
Sputnik V
vaccine
with the other two available in the country, AstraZeneca and Sinopharm. In this way, the City seeks to reduce the impact of the delay in the arrival of the second component of the vaccine produced in Russia by the Gamaleya Center. Especially now, that specialists understand that the entry of the Delta variant into the country is a matter of time. And at the same time that second doses began to be applied, even before the expiration of the twelve-week period, from this Friday
those between 35 and 39 years old
will also be able to register to receive the first component
.
Said in figures: in Buenos Aires territory so far
781,504 people
have been inoculated
with Sputnik V
, but there are 138,465 who have both doses applied.
The other 645,039 still await that second dose, according to data updated as of June 30.
In general terms, and according to information from the Buenos Aires government on open data,
1,832,952 vaccines
were applied in the City
.
Of this total, 1,447,121 were first doses and 385,831 second doses.
That is,
21.05% of those vaccinated have the complete scheme.
In parallel to this trial, the City is rushing the immunization of second doses with AstraZeneca in those over 60 years of age. And also the application of 23,400 second doses of Sputnik V that arrived in the country on Tuesday and this Thursday are already being distributed in the Buenos Aires vaccination centers. In addition, with this same shipment, 23,400 first doses arrived that will serve to open schemes among the youngest. Thus, after registration, starting this Friday for those
over 35
, they will probably be followed next week by those over 30.
What is known so far from the vaccine combination study that the City announced?
At the moment it is being evaluated by the
Ethics Committee of the Buenos Aires Ministry of Health
.
As reported to
Clarín
from the ministry, "the trial is short because the safety and adverse effects are controlled in a short time: in the first 48 hours, after the application of the second dose, the reactogenicity is checked, that is, the reactions that may be generated. Then a daily
monitoring
is done and at 21 days
the degree of immunization granted by the combination is monitored ".
Shifts for the second dose of Sputnik V began to arrive in the City among those who arrived within twelve weeks.
Photo: Lucia Merle
The Minister of Health, Fernán Quirós, said in a radio interview that it could be applied to the general population in a month and a half.
It was also reported that these second doses will be applied in
groups of volunteers of between 100 and 150 people
.
Logically there will be two groups, inoculated with the two vaccines available in the country, AstraZeneca and Sinopharm.
Without the approval of the Buenos Aires Ethics Committee, the study could not advance.
If it is achieved, then it should be endorsed by the ANMAT (National Administration of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology).
Other control bodies and medical professionals who monitor the results also intervene, such as the National Immunization Commission (CoNaIn), the Federal Health Council (CoFeSa) and the Ministry of Health of the Nation, which is evaluating
a similar study at this time. at the national level.
Vaccination against the coronavirus is
voluntary
.
And, as long as this City study progresses and is approved, it is clear that it will be voluntary to accept this combination of vaccines.
It happens that the second doses are essential to guarantee immunization, to avoid hospitalizations and serious forms of the disease.
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Health of the Nation published data on the effectiveness of the three vaccines that are applied in the country and the reduction of mortality in people over 60 years of age.
With first doses, the effectiveness of Sputnik V is 74% and 93.3% with the second.
With AstraZeneca the effectiveness of the second dose climbs from 79.5% to 88.8%.
And Sinopharm has a coverage of 61.6% with one dose and 84% with second doses.
Of course, these data focus on the virus as it currently circulates in the country.
The challenge is to increase the second doses in the population to face what seems inevitable, which is
the arrival of the Delta variant.
"You have to know that at the moment there is
no country in the world that is applying combined vaccines.
There is a study being carried out by the University of Oxford and the Gamaleya Center with AstraZeneca and Sputnik V. It is being carried out in Russia and the United Arab Emirates. United, but no results are known yet ", explained Romina Gigliotti, member of SAVE, Argentine Society of Vaccination and Immunology.
Gigliotti explains that the
"changeability"
of vaccines, even of different platforms, occurs and occurs in many cases: "For example, in the polio vaccine. The first dose is the oral Sabin, which inoculates attenuated virus. the booster is inoculated with inactivated virus. The polio vaccine is a mandatory, scheduled vaccine. "
The specialist explains that, in general, the purpose of vaccine interchangeability is to
improve the immune response
.
But in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic, the search is different: "Vaccine production is exhausted. Let us think that it is necessary to vaccinate everyone. So changeability
seeks to expand the availability of vaccines
.
"
SC
Look also
The City will test with volunteers whether the first dose of Sputnik can be combined with one of AstraZeneca or Sinopharm