Cyprus will be informed by Friday about any developments with regard to the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine, Acting Director of the Health Ministry`s Pharmaceutical Services, Elena Panayiotopoulou has told CNA, ruling out a possible withdrawal of the vaccine.
Panayiotopoulou said that the EMA Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) will discuss the issue of the AstraZeneca vaccine during its meeting which begins today and will wrap up on Friday. She added that a press release will be issued on Friday, to provide guideline to countries, including Cyprus, on how to manage the whole issue concerning this vaccine.
Invited to say what Cyprus will do in case the EMA decides to withdraw the AstraZeneca vaccine, Panayiotopoulou assured that guidelines will be provided to people who have already been vaccinated, however she expressed the belief that the EU will not withdraw the vaccine, since its side effects are the minimum.
However, she did not rule out the possibility of imposing some precautions with regard to the specific vaccine. The vaccine will not be withdrawn, however some precautions may be imposed, she noted.
With regard to references that people who were administered the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine will not get the second one, Panayiotopoulou said there is no danger and urged citizens to proceed with the second dose in order to be effectively protected.
She also stressed that Cyprus will follow the guiding lines to be given by the EMA. Moreover, she said that in Cyprus there are reports for side effects not only of the AstraZeneca vaccine but also of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
She went on to say that nothing has been proven, adding that no one knows how the situation will evolve, and that there is no medicine that has no side effects.
(CNA)
