Astrazeneca vaccine: Germany insists the recommendation be given only to those over 60

Despite the positive opinion of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on the Astrazeneca vaccine, the German Standing Committee on Vaccination (Stiko) insists that its vaccine be given only to people over 60 years of age.

“The European Medicines Agency (EMA) evaluates on the basis of the idea of ​​public health, that is, on the basis of the question of what is beneficial to the entire population of the European Union. In Germany the situation is somewhat different. Germany is not so dependent on the Astrazeneca vaccine. “We can postpone (specific) vaccinations and significantly reduce the risk of serious side effects in a certain age group,” said Thomas Mertens, head of the Standing Vaccination Committee (Stiko), on Thursday, the second German public broadcaster ZD.

«Stiko advises younger people who have already had their first vaccination with the Astrazeneca vaccine to get their second vaccination with the Biontech or Moderna vaccine. Many believe that then the two vaccines will work competitively in the body, but this is not the case. Instead, the real vaccine disappears quickly from the body. What remains is immunity“, Mertens explained, as broadcast by the French Agency and rebroadcast by the Athenian News Agency.

Regarding the idea of ​​Bavarian Prime Minister and Christian Social Union (CSU) leader Markus Zeder ordering 2.5 million doses of Russian Sputnik V vaccine for his country, Mertens said: “First of all, it is good to get vaccines, but a unilateral bavarian effort does not convince me. I do not know what information the EMA has about the Sputnik V vaccine. I only know the data published in the special magazine “Lancet”. They look very good. “If Sputnik V is tested and approved in Europe, I would have no objection to this vaccine.”