The Chilean Ministry of Health (Minsal) reported this Thursday that after a reported case of thrombosis in a 31-year-old man, it was decided to administer the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca. There were no details on his current status.
A 31-year-old man who received the vaccine developed a picture of thrombosis and thrombocytopenia, an event that has been attributed to the vaccine although infrequently, the ministry said in a statement.
“We are awaiting the result of an investigation. Tomorrow (Friday) the Public Health Institute (ISP) will give the result of whether or not there was an adverse effect in a 31-year-old patient,” explained Health Minister Enrique Paris.
The University of Oxford and AstraZeneca vaccine was approved in the South American country in April for emergency use in women over 55 and men over 18 to avoid the risk of thrombosis.
“As a preventive and proactive measure, while the Vaccine Pharmacovigilance subdepartment of the Public Health Institute performs the causality analysis, it has been decided as a health authority to modify the age of administration of this vaccine, starting at 45 years, until obtaining the results of that investigation, “he added.
The University of Oxford and AstraZeneca vaccine was approved in the South American country in April for emergency use in women over 55 and men over 18 to avoid the risk of thrombosis.
In Chile, 326,560 doses of this vaccine have been applied.
In April, researchers who developed a clinical trial of the vaccine in the South American country said that none of the local participants did not develop thrombi, as has happened in other countries.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has stated – before the emergence of cases similar to the one in Chile – that the benefits of AstraZeneca’s vaccine against COVID-19 outweigh its potential risks.
The announcement came days after it was announced that the administration time between the two doses in men under 45 would be shortened to just 28 days, instead of 12 weeks, the usual time.
In addition to AstraZeneca, of which it has committed 6 million doses, Chile also uses the drug from the Chinese laboratory Sinovac and that from Pfizer / BioNTech in its vaccination process.
Chile, of 19 million inhabitants, carries out one of the fastest vaccination processes in the world: 52.7% of the target population has already received both doses, a figure that places it only behind Israel.
Experts point to early and diversified negotiation, as well as the wide network of primary care, as key factors in the success of immunization, to which all those over 25 years of age, as well as health workers, have already been able to access voluntarily. chronically ill and essential workers.
However, the misgovernment goal of Sebastián Piñera, who intended to vaccinate the entire target population before July 1, is far from being fulfilled, since one month after the deadline, the percentage of people who have received at least one dose is 70.2%
The country, which accumulates almost 1.4 million infections and more than 29,000 deaths, has experienced an upturn in cases for days and has not been able to leave behind a second wave that began in March after the summer holidays and that led to the authorities to decree quarantine for more than 90% of the population.
Since May, the restrictions have been relaxed: the curfew was delayed for an hour, the quarantine was lifted in dozens of neighborhoods throughout the country, and a mobility card came into force that grants greater freedom to those vaccinated.
With information from AFP, EFE and Reuters
