Following a recommendation from Luxembourg’s infectious diseases council (CSMI), the government is making access to the AstraZeneca vaccine voluntary for people aged 30 to 54, who have been able to sign up for the shot via impfen.lu or covid19.lu since Wednesday evening.
This decision came after the European Medicines Agency said a rare type of thrombosis should be listed as a possible side effect of the Vaxzevria jab. The EMA did not issue a recommendation to limit use of the vaccine based on age or sex.
Data released for the first time on 21 April as part of the government’s weekly coronavirus update shows that out of 113,942 people having received one or two doses of the vaccine, fewer than 1% (1,125 cases) experienced side effects.
Minor complications--like fever, muscle and joint pains and headaches--constituted 996 cases reported to the EMA as part of a side effect reporting procedure. In another 110 cases, people experienced flu-like symptoms or side effects that saw them unable to work or leave the house but required no hospital treatment.
In ten cases of the Pfizer/Biontech vaccine, patients had to be hospitalised and three suffered life-threatening complications. A 77-year-old man died of pneumonia after receiving the vaccine, although a possible link to the vaccine is "very doubtful," according to the report. A 91-year-old man suffered a pulmonary embolism seven days after receiving his first dose.
104,359 Pfizer/Biontech doses have been administered so far.
A 74-year-old woman died two weeks after receiving the first AstraZeneca dose of a blood clot with low platelets. Three people had to be hospitalised for treatment of side effects. In total, 36,634 Vaxzevria doses have been administered so far.
"The causal link between these side effects or post-vaccination incidents is not immediately established. However, it is likely to exist due to their chronology," the report states.
Phase 6 to launch, second list for leftover doses
People signing up to volunteer for the AstraZeneca vaccine will be invited on a first come, first served basis. Should another vaccine become available first, people who signed up will receive their regular invite.
The website managing registrations struggled with traffic on Wednesday evening, but appeared to be restored on Thursday morning.
The change in strategy could mean that younger people will be vaccinated ahead of people in older age groups, health minister Paulette Lenert (LSAP) said during a press conference on Wednesday.
The average age of people infected with the coronavirus currently is 36.7 while the age of patients in hospital is also dropping, going from 61 to 57 on average last week compared to the week before.
Lenert said this was an effect of the more contagious virus variants. “We can assume that the disease is now more serious and attacks more young people,” she said, adding that more people were receiving intensive care compared to overall hospitalisations than previously.
The B.1.1.7 (or UK) variant made up 81.4% of analysed infections last week, with the B.1.351 (or South African) variant accounting for 14.2% of cases. The P.1 variant from Brazil appeared in 1.1% of samples. Luxembourg sequenced roughly half of positive test swabs between 12 and 18 April.
Prime minister Xavier Bettel (DP) also announced a second list that would open on the impfen.lu website towards the end of next week to better manage the use of leftover doses, as open or defrosted vials cannot be stored.
Organisers at the vaccination centres up until now made calls to healthcare professionals, emergency services workers or other people in the age group being vaccinated to administer leftover doses at the end of the day. Opposition politician Sven Clement (Pirate Party) had criticised this procedure as random and lacking transparency.
During April, only five doses were wasted but the government is anticipating deliveries to speed up requiring a more formal approach to prevent losses. The list should open with the start of the sixth and final phase of the vaccination strategy with phase 5 expected to conclude next week.