France: AstraZeneca vaccine again authorized, but only for people over 55

The green light for the AstraZeneca vaccine has been given by the High Authority for Health.

Vaccination in France can therefore restart this Friday with this vaccine, but with one caveat: it will only be administered to over 55s (illustrative image).

REUTERS - YVES HERMAN

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

Jean Castex had announced this Thursday, March 18, it's done: the French High Authority for Health again authorizes the AstraZeneca vaccine.

A vaccine which had been suspended following a suspicion on its side effects: it would have caused more thrombosis in the vaccinated.

However, a limit has just been announced: it should only be administered to over 55s.

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The green light for the

AstraZeneca vaccine

has been given, as desired by the executive.

Vaccination in France can therefore restart this Friday with this vaccine, but with a reservation.

In its opinion, the Haute Autorité de santé follows the recommendations of the European Medicines Agency, which does not note an increased risk of clots forming in the blood following vaccination.

On the other hand, a doubt remains for rarer events.

“ 

They are of two types: disseminated intravascular coagulations and cerebral thrombophlebitis.

These cases only concern patients under the age of 55.

This leads us to recommend reserving the AstraZeneca vaccine only for people aged 55 and over,

 ”explains Dominique Le Guluduec, president of the Haute Autorité de Santé.

People under 55 who are eligible for vaccination will therefore be given a

Pfizer

or

Moderna

vaccine

.

There is also the question of people already vaccinated and waiting for their second dose of AstraZeneca vaccine.

It takes 12 weeks between the two injections, a period that the High Health Authority gives itself to gather more information and give a new opinion on this specific case.

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To read: Vaccines against Covid-19: how does pharmacovigilance work in France?

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