Coronavirus: Under 50s with AZ jab booked are able to change it says minister

People aged under 50 who have booked an AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine are able to change it, the health minister said on Friday.

Speaking to the CyBC, Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said following the ministry’s decision that the vaccine was not advised for those under 50 anyone who now no longer wants the slot can cancel it by calling 1474 and then rebook with another vaccine once the portal reopens in the coming days for the relevant age group.

He also said individuals under 50 who received the first dose of AstraZeneca should proceed with the second dose if they did not experience any complications so far.

Ioannou assured the public there is no danger for those who did not experience any serious side effects after the first dose of the vaccine.

The health ministry will also inform personal doctors who received AstraZeneca vaccine doses to administer to patients aged 20 and older.

Ioannou said that the health ministry’s recommendation for people aged 50 and under to prefer mRNA vaccines such as Pfizer and Moderna was to increase people’s confidence in the national vaccination plan.

The ministry issued this new recommendation on Wednesday after a 39-year-old died with thrombosis about two weeks after receiving the first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine. Her details have been sent to the European Medicines Agency to determine if there was a link to the vaccine.

Cyprus is administering Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Jansen vaccines.