The calls
All confirmed for those who have already received the first dose
How many under 60 are waiting for the recall with AstraZeneca?
Those under the age of 60 who received that vaccine were mainly school and university employees (887,000) and law enforcement (222,000). Very few have already made the recall, expected after 12 weeks. There are therefore at least one million citizens who have received the Oxford drug and have yet to complete the vaccination course.
With which vaccine is the booster expected?
The ministry technicians and Aifa said that AstraZeneca will still be used for the second dose. There is no evidence that it causes problems, it has been said, also because there is little casuistry. Other countries, starting with Germany, have already decided to use vaccines in Mrna, such as Pfizer and Moderna, for the booster.
Will the second dose of AstraZeneca be refused?
The rule remains that it is impossible to choose which vaccine to be administered. Yesterday, however, the school unions warned the government, arguing that many operators, out of fear, may not show up for the second injection.
Who goes out
Plan to be redone for 29 million under sixties
For how many under 60 was AstraZeneca planned?
Theoretically they were intended for all those between the ages of 19 and 59, although other vaccines will also arrive to help cover this segment of the population. Excluding the approximately 3.3 million Italians who have already been vaccinated with at least one dose of the same AstraZeneca (or, if they work in healthcare, Pfizer and Moderna), there are approximately 28.7 million Italians left.
What vaccine will these people be offered?
Meanwhile, Janssen’s is counted on, which is expected in the second quarter of 2021. However, the doses in the 90 days will not be sufficient for acceptable coverage, given that they will be 7.3 million. The first delivery is expected around mid-April but to the Regions it will not be very substantial.
Could vaccines in Mrna also be used for younger people?
Theoretically yes, but in the meantime we are working to cover older people with these medicines, ie those over 80. Yesterday there were about 3 million out of 4.6 those who had received at least the first dose. Pfizer and Moderna are also used for the super frail, for healthcare personnel and for RSA, categories not yet fully covered.
Who enters
All Italians between 60 and 79 years old will receive it
Who is yet to receive AstraZeneca?
All those who are between 60 and 79 years old and are not health workers or guests or operators of the RSA, given that these categories are entitled to messenger RNA vaccines. Excluding those who have already been vaccinated, there are still about ten and a half million people in that age group to be protected, so about 21 million doses are needed, also considering those necessary for boosters.
How many doses of the British vaccine will come?
34 million are expected in the second and third quarters of the year. However, the English company has already failed several times to meet the deadlines and above all the quantities foreseen for deliveries.
At what point are the Regions with the seventies?
The age group that until a few weeks ago was lagging behind is now starting to be covered. Especially realities such as Lazio, Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna have started well with vaccination. Approximately 1.2 million doses have already been administered, a quantity that has finally allowed the seventies to overcome their twenties and thirties in terms of coverage.
The reactions
The rare thrombosis observed mainly in young women
How did the EMA establish a probable link between AstraZeneca and thrombosis?
The number of thromboses in general is not higher with AstraZeneca. What is most common is a particular type of thrombosis, which occurs in the veins of the brain (less often in the abdomen) and is associated with a drop in platelets. Normally one in every million people is observed, among the vaccinated one in every 100 thousand has been observed, according to the data of Germany, about a quarter fatal. The problem is very rare, but the EMA needs to evaluate it.
How many cases have there been?
EMA evaluated 86 cases, 18 fatal. In all, there were 222 reports of 34 million vaccinations. Italy has 13, still under scrutiny.
Are there any categories that are more at risk?
The problem was observed mainly in women under 60 and with an average age of 30. It is not known why, nor are risk factors known. Links with genetic predispositions to clotting or pill use were excluded.
Why is recalling with AstraZeneca deemed safe?
There have been no cases with the recalls, at least in Italy, even if the latter have been only 600 thousand for now. Germany and France will use Pfizer for the recalls.
I sintomi
Here are the signs of a possible adverse reaction
What should those who have already received AstraZeneca do?
Nothing, thrombosis cases are extremely rare. EMA recommends to be careful to pay attention to any suspicious symptoms, which may emerge up to two weeks after the injection.
Which ones are they?
The EMA list includes several. Some – swelling in the legs and severe chest pain – are typical of traditional thromboses, not those related to the vaccine, which affect the brain or abdomen. Symptoms of the latter are very intense pain in the head or belly, which does not disappear with analgesics and occurs together with neurological symptoms such as drowsiness, speech, movement or vision disorders, loss of sensitivity in the limbs. The drop in platelets can be manifested by bruises that appear without cause.
Is this thrombosis curable if caught early?
Recognizing it in time allows first of all not to make a mistake in the therapy: with normal thrombosis, heparin or other anticoagulants are used, but heparin is not recommended in these cases. Possible therapies (not 100% effective) are immunoglobulins and cortisone.
And give
No episodes with RNA-based vaccines
Why are we talking about the side effects of AstraZeneca and not those of other vaccines?
The rare form of thrombosis has only been observed with AstraZeneca, in higher than normal proportions. Moderna, according to EMA data, has not registered any cases, while with Pfizer there have been 0.2 per million vaccinated, without exceeding the norm.
What is the possible explanation?
AstraZeneca uses the viral victor method. Pfizer and Moderna that of messenger RNA. The viral vector method consists of inoculating the adenovirus of a primate, rendered harmless, to which the genetic sequence of the coronavirus spike has been added. However, there is no known reason why the method can cause thrombosis.
Do we have other vaccines that use the viral vector?
Not yet, but we’re about to receive Johnson & Johnson. Already used in the US, this vaccine has registered 3 cases of the special form of thrombosis out of 5 million injections, according to EMA data. Other vaccines that use the method are Sputnik, under evaluation by the EMA, and ReiThera, in phase two of the trials. Nothing for now suggests problems for them.
In the world
The UK gives it to everyone over 30. The US wants to do without it
How are the other European countries regulating themselves?
Almost all of them have set age limits below which AstraZeneca cannot be administered, or is in any case not recommended. For France and Belgium it is 55, for Germany, Spain, Holland and Portugal, as for Italy, 60; Sweden and Finland have chosen 65. In general, no cases over the age of 60 have been observed, so each country decides to adopt greater or lesser caution depending on the spread of Covid and the effects on its vaccination campaign.
Why did Britain set the bar much lower, at 30 years?
Britain, having used this vaccine the most, has the largest statistic. It noted that the average age of those affected is closer to 30 than 60. Of its 19 victims, 11 were under 50 and three were under 30. He then decided to set a low age limit to continue marching quickly with the vaccination campaign.
What happens in the rest of the world?
Many countries also outside the European Union have set age limits: Canada at 60, Australia at 50. The United States, which has already administered at least one dose of the vaccine to 110 million people, one third of the population, have not yet approved AstraZeneca; in recent days they have made it clear through the mouth of the immunologist Anthony Fauci that they could do without this vaccine altogether.
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