AstraZeneca vaccine is no longer recommended by the Ministry of Health

The Brazilian Ministry of Health no longer recommends the use of AstraZeneca/Oxford and Janssen viral vector vaccines for booster doses, after contacting after studies that they increase the risk of people developing thrombosis. The recommendation was made at the end of last year, still under the government of Jair Bolsonaro, and it was only now in April 2023 that it was widely reflected on social networks, generating discussions between laypeople and scientists.

The research in question shows that, until September 17, 2022, there were 98 cases reported in the E-SUS application, without data from São Paulo that did not disclose them, with suspected Thrombosis Thrombocytopenia syndrome, which are platelets, in relation to immunizers. In numbers, there are about 0.02 cases in 100,000 applied doses.

The Ministry of Health document says that “Viral vector vaccines are indicated for use in the population from 40 years of age and; in persons 18 to 39 years of age, COVID-19 vaccines from the mRNA platform (such as Pfizer/BioNTech) should preferably be administered”and also points out that “in places of difficult access or in the unavailability of the immunizer of this platform (mRNA), viral vector vaccines (Astrazeneca and Janssen) may be used”.

The study showed that 34 cases were confirmed as vaccine-related, 17 as probable cases and 47 cases as possible. The highest incidence was in women and occurred within a period of up to 30 days after receiving the immunizer. Anyone who has not developed thrombosis within the next 30 days is not considered to be at risk for the development of thrombosis. Scientists are still not sure that there really is a vaccine-thrombosis relationship, but due to the number and the vaccine being highly used in the period, they do not recommend its use and thus eliminate a possible risk.

Expert Opinion:

The newspaper The globe he heard specialists and they said that the incidence is very rare. “It was observed that under 40 years of age there is a very low risk of having thrombosis, these are extremely rare events. In a pandemic scenario where everyone needs to be vaccinated, the benefit of protection far outweighs this risk. But now that the pandemic has improved and the disease is down, and we have another vaccine that does not cause adverse events and is considered more effective, like Pfizer’s, so let’s give preference to that. It happens all the time, it’s not new. Whenever we have vaccines with a better risk-benefit ratio, we replace them” – explains epidemiologist Carla Domingues.

Despite the recommendation of the Ministry of Health, the vaccine was not banned nor had its effectiveness revoked by Anvisa, says epidemiologist Pedro Hallal, professor and researcher at the University of Illinois in the USA. He reinforces that for this reason he should not be afraid or generate a collective panic and compares it to the use of medicines, such as those we take for headaches, that if you look at the leaflet you will see several side effects.

During the peak of the Covid-19 epidemic, and the supply of vaccines was scarce, those with a viral vector, of the first generation, were essential for the disease not to evolve and cause more deaths.

In Brazil, production of the vaccine is carried out by Fiocruz, and at the moment it is interrupted.

Experts currently recommend that subsequent doses be of other technologies, such as the bivalent that has been applied to some groups in Brazil from March 2023.

What are thrombi that generate thrombosis?

They are blood clots that are formed in both veins and arteries, and make it difficult for blood to circulate through the body. It can be formed anywhere on the body. Depending on the size and location, they can be quite dangerous, such as in the brain and lungs, which can cause permanent damage and lead to death.

Brazil is united in the National Movement for Vaccination. Come with us in this gesture of love for life, update your vaccination schedule and help rebuild vaccination in Brazil. Vaccine is life. Vaccine is for everyone.

Learn more at pic.twitter.com/AcWlBxWwfO

— Ministry of Health (@minsaude) March 16, 2023

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_{Ministry of Health campaign in favor of vaccination – Reproduction/Twitter}

Oxford/AstraZeneca company note:

AstraZeneca/Oxford in a note states that “AstraZeneca reinforces that the vaccine against covid-19 —Vaxzevria— has a favorable safety profile, as already declared by the World Health Organization and other international bodies, in which the benefits of vaccination outweigh any potential risks.

Importantly, this analysis conducted from a large database of electronic health records found that all-cause mortality, including cardiac, did not increase among young people who received COVID-19 vaccines.

We emphasize that the study also analyzed the relationship between the Vaxzevria vaccine and the deaths of young women aged 12 to 29 years, showing that it was not possible to establish any causal link. The authors also state that it is difficult to extend any conclusions to the general public because the vaccine was only used for a short period and in a selected population.”

Manufacturer Janssen has not commented so far.

The Ministry of Health says that those who took any of the vaccines, either as a first or second dose, should not be concerned, as the cases analyzed are of people who developed the disease up to 30 days after taking the vaccine.

Featured photo: Vaccine against covid by AstraZeneca and Janssen can cause thrombosis – Photo: reproduction / Freepick