The Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) has issued its opinion on the vaccine developed by the AstraZeneca laboratory and gives recommendations for vaccination in France.
What efficiency?
The AZD1222 vaccine developed by the Swedish-British pharmaceutical company is not an RNA vaccine, as is the case for the other two vaccines authorized in France (Pfizer and Moderna). It is a recombinant viral vector vaccine, which uses a modified virus to prevent its replication in the body. The sequence of the S or Spike protein, present on the surface of Sars-Cov-2, is integrated into the genome of the inactivated virus in order to trigger an immune response directed specifically against the new coronavirus. As a reminder, the AstraZeneca vaccine has been authorized to be marketed by the European Medicines Agency since January 29. Since February 2, it has been included in the French vaccine strategy. The HAS has actually concluded that a satisfactory efficiency is between 62% and 70% according to the various scientific studies. This rate follows the results of three clinical trials, involving 16,437 volunteers.
In addition, its tolerance is good and the means of conservation makes its deployment easier throughout the territory. It can be stored in the refrigerator 48 hours after the first injection taken and up to 6 months before opening the vial. Thus, new professionals can perform an injection: midwives and pharmacists who have received vaccination training. Until then, only doctors and nurses could vaccinate patients.
Recommended for under 65s
Based on data available to experts, they recommend administering the AstraZeneca vaccine to people under 65 years of age. The HAS also advises to start by vaccinating those who are between 50 and 64 years old and who have comorbidities. Also, health professionals and the medico-social sector are eligible for this vaccine. However, for older people, the effectiveness is currently not measurable. Therefore, health officials advocate favoring the two mRNA vaccines for people over 65 years of age. In addition, clinical information is also lacking for pregnant women. Therefore, it is up to the doctor and the patient to assess the benefits and risks of vaccination against Covid-19 during pregnancy. It is not recommended for women who are breastfeeding to be vaccinated.
