France Switches COVID-19 Vaccines for Seniors

Following reports of cases of thromboembolic events in unusual locations, France's Haute Autorite de Sante (HAS) recommended on April 9, 2021, that Vaxzevria, known as AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, be reserved for people over 55 years of age.

Before this HAS restriction, just over 500,000 people under the age of 55 received the first dose of the Vaxzevria - AstraZeneca vaccine in France during 2021.

The HAS states 'as the administration of a single dose of this vaccine is insufficient to guarantee lasting effective protection.

Thus, given the existence of a scientific rationale and encouraging data, the HAS now 'recommends using a dose of one of the mRNA vaccines currently available, Comirnaty or COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna, to replace the administration of the second dose in persons under 55 years of age who have received the first dose of Vaxzevria vaccine.'

The Haute Autorité de Santé website is registered in France with the National Commission for Informatics and Freedoms under number: 615994.

Separately, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) safety committee concluded on April 9, 2021, that unusual blood clots with low blood platelets should be listed as infrequent side effects of Vaxzevria (COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca).

The EMA reminds healthcare professionals and people receiving the vaccine to remain aware of the possibility of blood clots combined with low levels of blood platelets occurring very rarely within 2 weeks of vaccination.