Last Say: Data on AstraZeneca Vaccine Effect on Senior Patient Are Insufficient

Society » HEALTH | February 2, 2021, Tuesday // 15:03
Bulgaria: Last Say: Data on AstraZeneca Vaccine Effect on Senior Patient Are Insufficient

There is not enough data to say for sure "how well the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine would work" in people over 55, and the reason for this is that most of the participants in the manufacturer's preliminary studies are between 18 and 55 years old. This is according to a document with detailed information from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), translated into Bulgarian and published on the website of the Bulgarian Drug Agency.

So far, the Bulgarian Ministry of Health has not commented on how this will affect the vaccination campaign against Covid-19 in the country, given that the authorities rely mainly on AstraZeneca's product for vaccinating people in the so-called phase four of the plan - it includes adults over 65 years of age and people with chronic diseases. Bulgaria plans to receive 4.52 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine by the end of 2021. They would be enough for vaccinating 2.26 million people, because everyone should receive two jabs.

AstraZeneca's vaccine has 60% efficacy, the product information document states: "Results showed a 59.5% reduction in symptomatic cases of Covid-19 in people who were given the vaccine (64 out of 5,258 developed Covid-19 with manifested symptoms)".

These results showed that compared to Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines (95% efficacy) and Moderna (94% efficacy) that were approved for use at an earlier stage, AstraZeneca's product had lower efficacy in preventing Covid-19.

Like the other two authorized products, the AstraZeneca vaccine is placed in the upper arm. The second dose of this preparation should be administered from four to twelve weeks after the first. For now, it is not known how long the vaccine protects against the disease, but it is indicated that the monitoring of people who took part in clinical trials will last a year.

Although there is no sufficient data on the efficacy of the vaccine in people over 55 years of age, the manufacturer and EMA consider that the vaccine can be used in them: "A protective effect is expected, given that an immune response has been observed in people of this age, as well as on the basis of experience with other vaccines; as there is reliable safety information in this population, EMA scientific experts believe that this vaccine can be used in older people'.

The detailed report states that those vaccinated with the AstraZeneca product who had previously had COVID-19 (345 people) had no additional side effects.

However, there is not enough accumulated data "how well the vaccine works" in these people. This seems logical, so much so that in order to check the efficacy of the vaccine in those who have already fallen ill, they need to get sick again. Even if they have been re-infected, if they have not exhibited symptoms, it is difficult to detect the infection.

In this context, it is also concluded that 'it is not yet clear to what extent the vaccinated could be carriers and spread the virus'. Manufacturers of Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna also had no data on whether or not vaccinated people may or may not infect other people if they were carriers of the virus.

Like the other two Covid-19 vaccines, AstraZeneca is not recommended for use in children. Studies of response to vaccines in children have been agreed at a later stage. The manufacturer's data on the vaccination of pregnant women are limited. It is stated that animal studies do not show harmful effects during pregnancy, but also that the data are "very scarse". No risk is expected during breast-feeding, although there are no studies to confirm it.

Information about the vaccine’s effect on people with weakened immune systems is also ambiguous: "Although immuno-compromised people may not be affected sufficiently by the vaccine, there are no specific safety concerns. Immuno-compromised people can still be vaccinated as they may be exposed to higher risk of Covid-19".

AstraZeneca should not be used for vaccinating people who have an allergy to any of its ingredients. It can be expected that more widespread allergies - for example, hay fever or food allergy - are not contraindications.

The adverse effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine are quite similar to those of Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. The most common, i.e. detected in 1 out of 10 people, were pain at the site of injection, headache, fatigue, muscle aches, general malaise, chills, fever, joint pains and nausea.

Vomiting and diarrhea were observed in less than 1 in 10 people. Lowered appetite, dizziness, sweating, abdominal pain and rash have been observed in less than 1 in 100 people.

 




 

 

 

 

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!

Health » Be a reporter: Write and send your article
Tags: Bulgaria, AstraZeneca, senior patients

Advertisement
Advertisement
Bulgaria news Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) is unique with being a real time news provider in English that informs its readers about the latest Bulgarian news. The editorial staff also publishes a daily online newspaper "Sofia Morning News." Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) and Sofia Morning News publish the latest economic, political and cultural news that take place in Bulgaria. Foreign media analysis on Bulgaria and World News in Brief are also part of the web site and the online newspaper. News Bulgaria