Thread by @marija_backovic

Thanks to the @CEPIvaccines @WHO @EuWHOEurope #Covax and others, 24,000 doses of #AstraZeneca vaccines arrived in 🇲🇪 last week, and this is just fantastic! But as in other European countries, there is a lot of hesitancy and fear related to this vaccine. 👇🏻 (🧵)

The ministry of health @MinZdravlja made the #AstraZeneca vaccine available to all 65+ old citizens, and this is great news as they are the most vulnerable group that was not eligible for @sputnikvaccine and #Sinopharm vaccines given in previous weeks to people 70+ 👇🏻

The main fear from what I understand is related to the inconsistent recommendations about the appropriate target groups and recent reports of #thrombotic events recorded in several EU countries now. Let’s address the issues one by one 👇🏻

The #AstraZeneca vaccine was first recommended to younger people because the data on the efficacy in older wasn’t available. But the results came in so the countries already using the vaccine increased the upper age and started vaccinating all eligible adults 👇🏻

Then sporadic reports of #thrombosis started appearing (this was about a month ago) but now we know that the vast majority of those events - even though ❗️not ❗️ proven to be linked to the vaccine - occurr in younger people <60 y.e.
Look at these tables👇🏻

Here is the March 24 report from @EMA_News with lots of good info bit.ly/3sQhoJL

This is why most European countries then moved the eligibility for #AstraZeneca vaccine to 55+ or even older. In 🇲🇪 this is 65+ and this is being extremely cautious, which is commendable 👇🏻

We now have more data than a month ago thanks to the EMA’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) and the trend seems to be the same - vast majority of the rare thrombotic events occurred in younger recipients, and mostly women. So all is good for older recipients 👇🏻

These are some of the numbers:

⦿ 30 events / 18,000,000 vaccines administered (UK)

⦿ 1 event / 25,000 (Norway)

⦿ 1 event / 87,000 (Germany)

⦿ 1 event / 87,000 (Germany)

These are extremely #rare events and we don’t even know if they are caused by the vaccine. 👇🏻

This is why #WHO and @EMA_News still recommend the vaccine because the chances of dying from #COVID19 and for that matter being run over by a car in 🇲🇪 are much, much higher.

Keep in mind that every anesthesia even when you go to dentist carries a risk of a thrombotic event 👇🏻

But we still decide to have it just not to be in pain for a short period of time …

It is normal that everybody is a bit confused and concerned, but we must be rational and do what is the best, which is

If you are over 65 and living in 🇲🇪 please go and get vaccinated ASAP👇🏻

I was asked and yes had I been offered the vaccine I would take it.

I hope that more data in the following weeks and understanding if there is any link between the #AZ vaccine and #thrombosis will persuade younger people to get the vaccine and protect themselves and others 👇🏻

Remember - the #AstraZeneca vaccine has 100% efficacy in preventing #severe form of #Covid19, which means you will not end up hospitalized.

And it is effective against the B.1.1.7 the so called #British variant (even though I don’t like the country names)👇🏻

For the end and I will tweet about this later - there have been false reports reported by news in 🇲🇪 and given by dr Boljevic than #astrazenecavaccine is proven to caused thrombosis. This is simply not true. More later 👇🏻

Dragi gradjani Crne Gore - ako ste stariji od 65 godina, nije važno jeste li imali covid ili ne - molim vas - vakcinišite se što prije to bolje. #AstraZeneca vakcina će zaštititi vas i vaše bliznje. Takodje članovi @VladaCG 65 godine i više - dajte dobar primjer i ohrabrite druge

The end of this long thread. Take care and get vaccinated.

#maska #ruke #distanca

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