By Nathan Allen and Inti Landauro
MADRID (Reuters) – Spain will study the effects of mixing different vaccines against coronavirus, government researchers said on Monday in response to shifting guidelines on the safety of the AstraZeneca shot.
Along with several other European countries, Spain has restricted the vaccines produced by the Anglo-Swedish drug manufacturer to people over 60 after regulators linked them to a rare form of blood clots in the brain, mostly in younger women.
“Following decisions by various European public health authorities to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine among 60-year-olds, we are urgently seeking scientific evidence to support the decision-making around possible alternatives,” said Raquel Yotti, director of the Carlos III Health Institute. , said at a news conference.
Jesus Frias Iniesta, clinical research coordinator at Carlos III, says the sample will be used on a sample of 600 people of all ages from across Spain.
“The aim of the study is … to determine within 28 days whether a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine can be given to patients who have received the AstraZeneca vaccine,” he said.
A UK study on vaccine mixing has expanded last week to shots made by Moderna and Novavax, while France and Germany are considering giving an alternative to people under 60 who received a first dose of AstraZeneca .
Separately, the Spanish El Mundo newspaper reported that the Ministry of Health is considering postponing second doses for those under 80 to maximize the number of people receiving at least one injection.
Patients would receive a second shot of vaccines manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna eight weeks after the first time, El Mundo said. The European Medicines Agency recommends a 28-day gap between Moderna surveys and 21 days between Pfizer.
The proposal points to a sharp departure from the current national strategy, which is to promote it to give vulnerable age groups a full two-shot range as quickly as possible.
The Ministry of Health was not immediately available for comment.
Several actual studies have shown that the first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine offers a high level of protection.
Despite delays in the deployment of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and interruptions in AstraZeneca, Spain still expects half of its 47 million inhabitants to be fully vaccinated by the end of July.
Data released on Friday showed that 7% of the population received a full course, while 19% received at least one dose.