The 533,302 people under the age of 55 who received a first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine between Saturday February 6 and Saturday March 13 will have to receive their second injection with a messenger RNA vaccine, i.e. those produced by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, recommended the Haute Autorité de santé (HAS), Friday April 9.
Anticipating the publication of this opinion, the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, estimated Friday morning that this recommendation was “ totally logical “, stressing that this was a precautionary measure which is not final and could evolve depending on new data.
On March 15, the suspension of the Anglo-Swedish firm’s vaccine was announced by Emmanuel Macron, following a chain of similar decisions in several European countries, after the occurrence of cases of serious thromboembolic events in people vaccinated .
The primary caregivers concerned
If the administration of the vaccine resumed in France, a few days later, in accordance with the favorable conclusions of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the French health authority recommended, in its opinion of 19 March, to reserve this vaccine for over 55s. What then of the youngest, already engaged in the process with the AstraZeneca product? The question had become urgent, as the first appointments for the injection of a second dose of AstraZeneca are scheduled from mid-April, the second dose to be injected within twelve weeks.
This second injection primarily concerns caregivers, to whom access to the AstraZeneca vaccine was opened on February 6 in vaccination centers. “It was a decision eagerly awaited by health professionals, they question us daily, underlines Jacques Battistoni, president of MG France, the leading union among general practitioners. These 30-year-old, 40-year-old caregivers who received a first dose of Astrazeneca want to know how they are going to recall. “
For the general public: “We have vaccinated a limited number of our patients aged 50 to 54”, points out Mr. Battistoni. The arrival of the Astrazeneca vaccine in town offices on February 25 first affected people with co-morbidities between the ages of 50 and 64 (then beyond), but doctors often started with their patients. more advanced in this bracket, age being one of the main risk factors.