New change in the age range for AstraZeneca: Spain will only vaccinate people between 60 and 65 years of age

MadridNew change in the vaccination protocols with AstraZeneca in Spain after the latest decision by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The Ministry of Health and most of the communities have decided to vaccinate only people over 60 with the doses developed by the Oxford laboratory after the cases linked to thrombi in younger people, as ARA has learned. This is the same decision taken by Germany at the end of March, and represents a reversal of the initial criterion. France and Belgium also only administer the Anglo-Swedish preparation to people over the age of 55.

AstraZeneca was initially only administered to essential workers under the age of 55; the limit was later raised to 65. In fact, last week it was extended to people who still work in these groups and are over 65. Now the question remains as to what will happen to people who are under 60, have received the first dose and are waiting for the second. However, the limit of 65 years is still in place except for essential workers, who in practice are few.

The Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, has raised the proposal to the inter-territorial council of Health, where it has been accepted by most regions immediately with only some occasional reluctance, explain sources present at the meeting. For practical purposes, it means that the mass vaccination of people between 60 and 65 years that had started in regions such as Catalonia will continue.

The decision comes after the EMA concluded that thrombi can be a side effect of the vaccine in very rare cases. Following a warning from an adviser to the agency, the Ministry of Health of Castilla y Leon decided on Wednesday morning to suspend vaccination against covid-19 with AstraZeneca while waiting for the inter-territorial council of Health to meet this afternoon and make a new decision. Castilla y León was also the first region in Spain to immobilise AstraZeneca vaccines in early March due to the identification of some cases of thrombosis among people who had received the vaccine in some European countries