7,200 doses of AstraZeneca in Cyprus - Normally vaccination in over 65

In the context of the licensing of the AstraZeneca vaccine by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and in view of the start of deliveries by the manufacturer, starting on Monday, with 7,200 doses, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Coronavirus recommended the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine, without age limit, as the decision of Coreper, a competent authority in the European Union for the evaluation of scientific data and the licensing of medicinal products.

The reasons taken into account in the decision of the TEU were the scientific data and the recent publications that it had before it and concern the effectiveness of the vaccine, as well as the need to maximize the benefit and efficiency of the Vaccination Plan, following the official recommendation of Coreper.

Specifically, the following were taken into account:

1. Researchers from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the United Kingdom report that the population over the age of 56 was underrepresented in the study to collect enough clinical efficacy data for older people, but the immune antibody response in phases 1 and 2 was almost as good in people over 70 as in younger people. These data were also taken into account by Coreper, so that no age limit is submitted as a restriction on its administration.
2. The AstraZeneca vaccine is the only vaccine that, based on the results of clinical trials, may reduce the transmission of the virus.
3. Faster vaccination of people aged 65 and over as well as vulnerable groups, taking into account the availability of vaccines, will reduce morbidity and mortality, resulting in reduced hospitalization and burden on the Health System.

In addition, the recommendation of the Scientific Advisory Committee was adopted, such as 2^η dose of the vaccine administered on 12^η week, taking into account the pre-publication of a study in the Lancet, with data collected from the United Kingdom, Brazil and South Africa. In this study it is noted that the effectiveness of the first dose of the vaccine after 12^η week increases on average to 82%, compared to the effectiveness of the first dose where for a period of less than 6 weeks the effectiveness of the vaccine averages 55% and between 6^th and 8^th per week at 60%.

This proposal, which has been adopted by the Ministry of Health, continues the National Vaccination Plan as planned from the beginning, a process that will allow vaccination protection with faster pace of more people, especially population groups with chronic diseases that have an increased risk of serious disease.