The Public Health Commission agreed on Tuesday to continue administration of second doses of COVID-19 vaccines. This is also marked by each pharmaceutical company, thus eliminating the time gap in order to vaccinate a larger number of people. This information comes from sources within the Autonomous Community, as reported to the EFE.
On Tuesday, 20th April, the Commission studied a document which included the proposal to delay the second injection of Pfizer and Moderna. Those affected would be under 79 years of age, with a time frame of 6 and 8 weeks. The measure would be taken to inoculate the serum at the earliest opportunity to the greatest number of people, even if the vaccination was partial.
In this way, and if the Interterritorial Council on Wednesday decides to go in the same direction, the second doses will be administered after 21 days in the case of Pfizer and 28 days for Moderna. For AstraZeneca, the number is 12 weeks.
Waiting for Janssen
Furthermore, the Ministry of Health is prepared to “immediately” distribute the Janssen doses to the Autonomous Communities. Distribution will occur once the company has withdrawn its recommendation not to administer its vaccine in Europe, which has already received approval from the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
Minister Carolina Darias explained this on Tuesday during her appearence to the Senate. She learned that the EMA has confirmed that despite the “possible link” of the drug with the development of very rare blood clots, the balance between benefit and risk of this preparation continues to be “positive”.
“We haven’t stopped anything,” said Darias, who reiterated that it was the US health authorities who stopped using it. Also, Johnson & Johnson itself recommended not to apply its vaccine in Europe. In both cases, its relationship with six cases of these clots among close to 7 million immunized people in the United States has been elucidated.
The EMA has just expressed its opinion in “similar terms” as it did for AstraZeneca. The EMA has found this “possible link” but continues to insist that the benefits outweigh the risks.
Now all that’s left is for Janssen to lift this recommendation, after which Darias “is ready to receive for immediate release” to the communities.
Since last Wednesday, 146,000 doses of Janssen have remained in the company’s central warehouses; 300,000 doses are expected to arrive throughout April.