EMA findings are clear, but hurt: more and more Europeans no longer believe in AstraZeneca

A number of European countries stopped vaccinating AstraZeneca in the past week due to concerns about rare blood clots in tens of millions of people who have been vaccinated.

The EVA said it nonetheless conducted an in-depth study and concluded that the vaccine “is not associated with an increased risk of thromboembolic events or blood clots,” said Emer Cooke, the agency’s director.

EU states, including Lithuania, announced on Thursday evening that they would immediately resume vaccination with AstraZeneca: the third wave of COVID-19 infections appears to be on the continent, so not a day should be missed. However, Europe may have lost a lot for a few days of reflection.

The old continent is already more skeptical about vaccines than, say, the Americans; Add in the unfounded doubts at the beginning of the year, as it turns out, about the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine against the elderly, and we get a lot of mistrust towards the vaccine.

People seem to be more distracted by the shifting maneuvers of governments. In France, the government praised the AstraZeneca vaccine one day and stopped vaccination the next. The situation is similar in other countries.

Melting trust

Nadine Roger, a 60-year-old Parisian suffering from breast cancer, is at risk, according to Reuters, and wants to get vaccinated against the coronavirus as soon as possible. However, the woman declined the AstraZeneca vaccine that was offered to her.

“This vaccine scares me,” said Roger, a medical professional who said she would wait for a vaccine developed by the American company Johnson & Johnson, which had already been approved by the EVA.

In France, the AstraZeneca vaccine is particularly problematic. According to the Ministry of Health, at the end of February, only about a quarter of the received doses of this vaccine had been used in the country. Pfizer / BioNTech product does not stay in freezers: 82 percent. doses are consumed.

Yes, the indicators are bad and due to logistical problems, vaccines are still lacking. But the French are also very suspicious of the AstraZeneca vaccine: they fear the side effects, they do not believe in its efficacy.

A recent poll on Tuesday showed that only 20 percent trust the AstraZeneca vaccine. French population.

Of course, the problems were created by the country itself. President Emmanuel Macron’s decision earlier this year by the country’s now-reversed authorities not to vaccinate people over 65 was accompanied by a statement that the vaccine was “almost ineffective.”

In addition, the services had very publicly urged hospitals not to rush to vaccinate doctors and nurses, as the latter began to take care of sick leave one after another due to side effects.

“All this has been a false signal not only for health workers but for all citizens,” said Jacques Battistoni, director of the largest union of family doctors in France.

A recent poll on Tuesday showed that only 20 percent trust the AstraZeneca vaccine. French population. As much as 58% are skeptical and 22% are undecided.

And until recently, the same polls showed that the number of people willing to get vaccinated was slowly increasing. The specialists tirelessly reiterated the latest UK data that the AstraZeneca vaccine provides 100% protection against severe cases and deaths from COVID-19.

Outside the English Channel, there is a steady and impressive reduction in both infections and deaths. The British are looking forward to the next opening of the country.

And you doubt and show determination

Perhaps inspired by such success stories, Macron said in February that the AstraZeneca vaccine was effective and would be vaccinated.

But the doubt does not disappear. Malika, 54, who works at a homeless clinic near Paris, admitted that she also refused the vaccine: “I thought I didn’t see the point in getting a second-line vaccine.”

The woman said she was determined when her colleague was vaccinated with AstraZeneca and immediately felt bad. Malika wants the Pfizer vaccine, which is currently reserved for people 75 and older in France.

A 21-year-old law student from the city of Montpellier shares a similar opinion: “I feel like we are considered experimental rabbits. I would not choose the AstraZeneca vaccine, even if it were to be reintroduced.

France, by the way, is no exception. Maria Grazia Del Pero, 62, who works in the tourism sector in Milan, for example, has no doubts: “Until now, I have been so positive about vaccines that I have bathed them in my children. But now I would give up the AstraZeneca vaccine because it would be Russian roulette. “

M. Paraskevoula: I will take any vaccine, I don’t care. From what I understand, the chances of problems arising are slim. There are always risks, but isn’t there an increased risk of walking around and waiting to get infected?

“It is a great blow to Italian confidence, not only for the AstraZeneca vaccine, but also for the government. When decisions are abruptly and enigmatically changed, anxiety only grows. Even a positive EVA verdict will not change the situation,” he admitted the influential Italian virologist Roberto Burioni.

Last week, when there were reports that two men vaccinated with the vaccine had died in Sicily, in the Tuscany region alone, 4.1 thousand people were deregistered for the vaccination procedure. people.

True, they were quickly replaced by others. After all, many people tend not to panic and look jealously at the UK, where millions of people have already received doses of AstraZeneca and where there have been no deaths in any way related to the vaccine.

“Obviously, I’m going to get this vaccine,” said 60-year-old karate coach Corinne Tadei, who works in Paris. “These vaccines are the only way to save ourselves and escape from this pandemic.”

Maria Paraskevoula, a 52-year-old teacher from Athens, also says that she is not afraid of anything: “I will get any vaccinations, I don’t care. As I understand it, the chances of problems arising are minimal. There are always risks, but isn’t there an increased risk of walking around and waiting to get infected? “