• Cavaleri (Ema): "To reserve J&J only for over 60s, an option to ban AstraZeneca too"

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    "Effective and safe vaccines"

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June 13, 2021 There will be no slowdown in vaccinations after the stop at Astrazeneca for the under 60s. 55 million Pfizer and Moderna doses are coming between now and the end of September, which will also serve as a booster for those under 60 who had their first Anglo-Swedish vaccine dose about 900 thousand people.



If reorganized, the Open days will have to respect the indications for age groups. If those over 60 who have not yet done so do not answer the call, millions of doses of AstraZeneca and J&J risk running out in the refrigerators.



The decision taken by the Minister of Health Roberto Speranza, on the recommendation of the experts of the Scientific Technical Committee after the death of the 18-year-old in Genoa and the perplexities of part of the scientific community, has already

the Regions were obliged to cancel the open days

- which if they are reorganized, it is written in the CTS minutes, will have to "respect the indications for age groups" - and to review the booking agenda. There is discontent and concern among the Regions, Lombardy first announced that it did not want to follow up on the government's decision to administer a different vaccine for boosters, "pending an official note from the Ministry of Health and Aifa", then backed off once received the circular and the position of the Aifa itself. But the tensions remain.



According to the numbers provided by the emergency commissioner Francesco Figliulo to the CTS, by the end of the month there should still be 7.2 million doses of mRNA vaccines (5.8 from Pfizer and 1.4 from Moderna), to which added the 45 expected in the third quarter (31 for Pfizer and 14 for Moderna) for a total of 52.2 million. If Curevac's serum is approved

, Italy will have another 6.5 million by the end of September, for a total of 58.7 million doses

of mRNA vaccines. A figure that, as Figliuolo said, allows you to go "smoothly" only if there are no other hitches.



The same general, among other things, already on May 10 in a note to the CTS had signaled that the quantity of mRNA vaccines would be less than necessary. "In light of the number of people already vaccinated and of the one who received the first dose and that, therefore, the need for the second - he wrote - the needs necessary to complete the campaign by September in 73 million doses were defined against a forecast of an influx of about 68. Basically, the need for mRNA vaccines is higher than the forecast of supplies ".



Considering that the recalls for 900 thousand and 2.3 million 12-15 year olds have been added to this situation, the numbers are at the limit.   

Then there is the unknown Johnson & Johnson

. Within the CTS there was a long discussion between those who wanted to equate it with Astrazeneca and those who instead claimed that there was not enough data and, in the end, this line passed. While considering the similarities with Az, the experts wrote in the report, "the current state of knowledge, the number of just over a million doses administered and the rarity" of thrombosis, "do not allow us to draw conclusive assessments with respect to the benefit / risk". However, evaluations could arrive in the coming weeks and change the scenarios, it being understood that in any case

this vaccine is already recommended for those aged 60 and over.



What is certain is that, again based on the numbers of Figliuolo, there are still 3.5 million over 60 who have not even had the first dose and 3.9 who have to do the reminders. Which require a total of between 7.4 and 11 million doses. But Italy, at the end of September, could have more than 50 million doses of Astrazeneca and J&J given that 10 million were expected in June and 40.7 in the third quarter. If they do not go to the Covax countries, as the Commissioner assumed, the risk of them expiring in the refrigerators is very high.



D'Amato: "Ministry stop blaming, let things be clear"


"I defend the open days, the ministry of health stop blaming the blame", said Alessio D'Amato, Lazio Health Councilor, in an interview with

La Repubblica

the day after the decision to stop adenoviral vector vaccines for young people. The Open Days were not a mistake, he stresses, because "it nevertheless served to cover a certain number of children with a vaccine approved for all adults. And also those events were endorsed by the CTS with an opinion not long ago, that is of May 12. And in any case in Lazio 80% of AstraZeneca's vaccines were administered to over 60. The youngest are a residual share.



On the risks associated with side effects, D'Amato recalls that "people must be carefully evaluated before administering any vaccine. The Ligurian girl, probably, should not have received the administration. It is a question of doing the anamnesis well, our staff are always very scrupulous ". And on the circular of the ministry that changes vaccination with AstraZeneca the councilor of the Lazio region is clear: "We need to say things clearly. Often it does not happen. Also in the CTS document at the basis of that act there is always a strong recommendation , not a precise indication. They must say yes or no ".