The Cts gives it stop the AstraZeneca vaccine for the under 60s, while those of the younger ones who have already received a dose of the viral vector serum will do so second with an mRna vaccine, therefore Pfizer and Modern. According to some studies, mixing vaccines is safe and increases the effectiveness against variants. This is what emerged during the press conference update on vaccination campaign and on the progress of the Covid-19 epidemic in the presence of the Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza, by Francesco Paolo Figliolo, extraordinary commissioner for the covid and general emergency, by Frank Locatelli, coordinator of the Scientific Technical Committee, and finally, of the professor Brusaferro, spokesman for the Cts.
A decision taken in light of the latest cases of adverse reactions recorded, such as that of the 18-year-old from Genoa Camilla Canepa, prompting the government to ask for a new opinion on whether to continue administering the viral vector vaccine to young people. Scientists examining the numerous studies on contraindications for boys and in the end they agreed on the need to suspend the administrations and to indicate Pfizer or Moderna as an alternative for the second dose.
The young woman from Genoa had received the first dose of the vaccine on May 25, on the open day reserved for over 18s. Hospitalized on Sunday June 6 at the San Martino hospital in Genoa, she died after a thrombosis to the cavernous sinus. An autopsy revealed that she suffered from autoimmune thrombocytopenia.
The AstraZeneca knot has been going on for months. And now "the recommendations of the CTS on the vaccine will be translated by the government peremptorily and not only as recommendations", as stated by Minister Speranza during the press conference.
Meanwhile the country begins to breathe as the 50% of Italians will be in the white area from Monday. Emilia Romagna, Lazio, Lombardy, Piedmont, Puglia and the province of Trento are tinged with white. The good results obtained are the effect of a vaccination campaign which is proceeding very well in our country: almost one in 2 received the first dose. In fact, in Italy there is a Rt stable at 0,68 ee hospital occupancy rate of 8%.
To explain the reasons for this directional change in the vaccination campaign, the number one of the Cts, franc Locatelli: “For the under 60 age group there is instead the recommendation for mRna vaccines. In this changed epidemiological context, the CTS in close dialogue with Aifa and the other health institutions of the country, deemed it appropriate to re-evaluate the indications for the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine because, having changed, the relationship between benefits and potential risks associated with rare cases of thrombosis changes in function of age".
And on the second doses he added: “For the boosters it was decided to give a recommendation to use the same dose of the same vaccine for the over 60s, while for the under 60s, even in the absence of worrying warning signs, the recommendation is for vaccination heterologous". Going to specify that mixing two vaccines does not involve dangers, indeed it could have very positive effects against the variants.
The general Son he concluded by taking stock of the last week and the new indications: “The campaign is proceeding according to plan, reaching 40,7 million administrations. The decision to administer the Oxford vaccine only to the over 60s will have some impact on the plan, but I am sure that between July and August we will be able to mitigate, if not eliminate, this impact ”.
It remains only to understand how the vaccination campaign will be organized in the coming weeks and whether there will be sudden stops in administrations considering the shortage of Pfizer and Moderna doses and the abundance of Anglo-Swedish serum.
