Vaccinations of people 70+ drastically reduce hospital admissions, committee chair says
Newer data shows the AstraZeneca vaccination against Covid-19 is effective for people aged over 65, Maria Theodoridou, head of the Greek vaccination committee said on Monday during a regular live briefing.
Initially the test sample of those over 65 was low in numbers, she said, prompting the committee to propose that it be only used for people aged 18 to 64. The proposals were amended, as three preliminary studies have been released on its high effectiveness for those over 65 in preventing hospitalizations overall, she added.
Theodoridou noted however that in Greece several people in the older age groups have not been vaccinated, despite data proving that intention to do so among those 70 years or older had risen by 85.9 pct since November. She called for further mobilization to encourage more of the older age groups to be inoculated. In addition, staff at intensive care units said patients had not completed the two-dose vaccinations, she said.
The committee head also noted that vaccines are not 100 pct effective, but if someone has been given the shots and contracts Covid-19, they will go through it with milder symptoms. As an example she said that 1,000 people who had received one of two doses in Greece became sick with the novel coronavirus, while another 354 who had both done also became sick.
Theodoridou cited three new UK preliminary reports on older people who were vaccinated, and all were very encouraging, as they reduced hospital admissions for those over 70 by between 80 pct and 94 pct. The studies were carried out in Edinburgh and the UK and involved both AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines.
