Minsa says that vaccination of the fourth dose with Moderna was done “within the margin of safety”

Authorities from the Ministry of Health (Minsa) held a press conference, where they defended the dose of 100 micrograms that they applied of the Moderna vaccine as the fourth dose. They pointed out that the amount administered was within the margin of safety.

“You are not taking risks, you are placing the dose within the margin of safety. To risk someone is to change the dose or go to a toxic dose that would be higher than the conventional one. What's more, all countries that have started vaccinating with Moderna have done so with 100 micrograms in first and second doses,” explained Alexis Holguín, Director General of DGIESP.

The official explained that in the case of Moderna vaccines, both 100 and 50 micrograms could be applied. In some countries it would have applied the former for immunosuppressed patients, those most exposed to severe effects of the disease. In this sense, what Minsa would have done is to consider health personnel as a population highly exposed to the virus and, moreover, since it was the first time that the vaccine was applied in this laboratory, they decided to apply the 100 micrograms.

In that sense, they do not consider this fact a mistake and state that both doses have safety and efficacy studies.

“We have had vaccines against COVID-19 of different types, where the types of doses also change. In the case of this vaccine (Moderna) there are two types, that of 50 micrograms and 100 micrograms - both have safety and efficacy studies,” he said. He then explained that doses of 100 micrograms, according to public health regulations, could be administered in the first, second doses and in immunosuppressed patients,” he explained.

“Given that our population has not received either first or second doses with this type of vaccine, it is considered to be a special group, quite exposed to COVID-19, like health personnel,” he added.

Then, Holguín said that they decided to change the dose when they received the report that the side effects of the vaccine, malaise and fever, were being higher.

“We have a report of active surveillance (and) we begin to mention a greater number of pains, a greater number of fevers, ailments. Therefore, a new meeting is held to specify the dose of this fourth dose,” he explained.

In this way, it was reported that the dose for vaccination of the fourth dose with the Moderna vaccine will be 50 micrograms and that 50 thousand people have already received the full dose, most of them being from health personnel.

Last Saturday, allegations of this alleged negligence with the administration of the fourth dose of COVOD-19 became known, which had generated more severe adverse effects in older adults and immunized medical personnel.

Some of the complaints they reported were headache, diarrhea, vomiting, myalgia, arthralgia and general malaise.

According to specialists, Minsa should have administered from the beginning 50 micrograms of the product, not twice as much (100 micrograms).

On this fact, Raúl Urquizo, dean of the Medical College of Peru, met with the expert committee to evaluate what happened and take preventive measures. He said that Minsa had not communicated with the committee prior to the implementation of this reinforcement.

“On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday the vaccination of the fourth dose was carried out at the Medical College. On Thursday we began to see some slightly more noticeable adverse effects in those vaccinated. We started looking for information and we realized that the dose was not what we thought they were applying to us, it was twice as much,” Urquizo told El Comercio.

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