Belgium lowers age limit for AstraZeneca and puts no age limit on Johnson&Johnson
The Inter-Ministerial Conference (IMC) of the various ministers responsible for health in Belgium has decided to lower the minimum age limit from which the AstraZeneca can be administered. Previously this was set at 56. It has now been lowered to 41. The Johnson&Johnson vaccine will be able to be used on people of all ages.
The news that from now on anyone from the age of 41 can be given the AstraZeneca vaccine and that anyone can be given the Johnson&Johnson vaccine was announced by the Flemish Health Minister Wouter Beke (Christian democrat) on the social media platform Twitter.
Earlier this week the European Medicines Agency (EMA) had issued new advice on the Johnson&Johnson coronavirus vaccine. It confirmed that as is the case with the AstraZeneca vaccine, there is a possible link between the Johnson&Johnson vaccine and a number of cases of a very rare condition in which blood clots develop after the vaccine has been administered. However, like with the AstraZeneca vaccine the EMA added that the advantages of the vaccine far outweigh any eventual very rare side-effects.