AstraZeneca, Bassetti: “Death of viral vector vaccines decreed”

The whole AstraZeneca affair, with the stop for the under 60s after the rare cases of thrombosis, in the end tells us that “the death of viral vector vaccines has been decreed, given that the decision to limit them only for the over 60s also concerns the J&J vaccine. I think it was a decision of common sense but absolutely political. Science says some things, but health policy, the ministry in this case, must mediate between science and politics, in the face of a public opinion that is afraid and doubts “. So at Adnkronos Salute Matteo Bassetti, director of the Infectious Diseases Clinic of the San Martino hospital in Genoa, convinced that “at this point a heavy shadow is cast on all the other viral vector vaccines, from Sputnik to our Italian Reithera, on which we must ask ourselves if it makes sense to continue its development, given that when it arrives it will be old and nobody will want to do so “. On yesterday’s decision, however, Bassetti stresses that on the AstraZeneca vaccine “the scientific data remain the same, we have not changed our mind on this: it remains an effective vaccine and thrombotic side effects remain between 6 and 12 cases per million vaccinated. But – he observes – it is clear that there has been a short circuit in terms of communication and it cannot be ignored that people are afraid or distrustful, since the goal of the campaign is to vaccinate as many people as possible “. “Science – Bassetti reiterates – must give messages but we cannot ignore public opinion, and even we scientists sometimes have to go against our previous opinions. Science is not a dogma or a faith, but it is dynamic, and today we see things that three months ago we did not see “. And again: “AstraZeneca – underlines the infectious disease specialist – does not give big problems even in young people, perhaps some limitations could be made, I have always said this, for example in the cases of people under hormonal treatments, who take the conceptional pill or thrombosing drugs, more than to say that it is a question of age. Yesterday’s decision was therefore political, as made by Germany, Austria or Denmark. At this point – he adds – it would make more sense to say stop to viral vector vaccines, because limit them to the over 60s in Italy, where we have already vaccinated 80% of the over 60s is equivalent to eliminating them, since now we have to vaccinate the under 60s, who will all end up making mRna vaccines “.