• Ema, the AstraZeneca vaccine is valid for everyone

  • Vaccine: Aifa green light for a mix of vaccines for under 60s

  • Vaccines, heterologous vaccination causes Regions and experts to discuss

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  • Campania, De Luca says no to the mix of vaccines

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June 15, 2021

Having obtained an official opinion from the Ministry of Health, Vincenzo De Luca authorizes the suspension of AstraZeneca and J&J doses for the under 60s, and gives the green light to the mix of vaccines for those who have to complete the vaccination. "We hope that the events of the last few days will convince everyone of the need to put an end to the communication and information chaos on vaccines", he writes in a note to which he attaches the letter received from the ministry. "It is essential to speak with one voice. The daily communications of the Covid Commissioner cease, which must be traced back to a silent technical-logistical function. The utterances of representatives of various national bodies cease. The medical-scientific communication should be entrusted only to the Ministry of Health , in the person of the Director General of Prevention, Giovanni Rezza,as happened for our request for clarification. And as it happens in every civilized country ".

De luca, however, makes some observations regarding the response formulated by Rezza to the request for clarification from the Campania Region. The ministerial response, he notes, does not indicate "explicitly what is done in the event of a third dose for those who have received two different vaccines" and "the English study referred to relates to an extremely small audience for the age group under 50 , and is therefore not definitive, based on the data available to date ". However, he noted "the pronouncement and consequent assumption of responsibility by the Ministry of Health".

The vaccination campaign in Campania will take place by not administering Astrazeneca to new vaccinates under the age of 60; continuing mass vaccination with Pfizer or Moderna; using AstraZeneca as a reminder only for those over 60 who have already had it as their first dose, while for those under the age of 60 the reminder will be with Pfizer and Moderna; and since "the Ministry's position with respect to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is not clearly defined and binding", this vaccine "will not be administered under the age of 60". Campania "requests for the umpteenth time, and urges, the additional supply of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines", having the younger population of other regions and "also in relation to the student population to be vaccinated".

The letter from the Ministry The letter from


the Directorate General for Health Prevention of the Ministry to Campania states that "the data currently available, deriving in particular from 2 clinical studies carried out respectively in Spain and England, provide reassuring information on the effectiveness (in terms of good antibody response) and safety (in terms of acceptability of side effects) on the completion of the vaccine cycle, with an mRNA vaccine, in subjects younger than 60 years who have already carried out a first dose of Vaxzevria vaccine (vaccine cycle mixed) ".

"Furthermore, for some time now in Germany, France, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Canada and more recently in Spain, this approach is already being used and to date there have been no warning signs of vaccine-surveillance", adds Rezza. "Therefore, in relation to the mixed vaccination cycle in subjects under 60 years of age who have already received a single dose of a Vaxzevria vaccine, what transmitted with note 26246-11 / 06/2021-DGPRE and relative opinion of the Technical-scientific committee referred to in the Ordinance of the Head of the Civil Protection Department no. 751 of 2021. From the above it follows the opportunity to use a heterologous regimen in order to avoid the rare adverse reactions reported in young people vaccinated with Vaxzevria ", the conclusions.