According to health workers’ unions in Europe, thousands of its members are refusing to take one of the three Covid-19 vaccines available in the region because of concerns about efficacy and reports of side effects, the last setback for the slow introduction of vaccines on the continent.
Organizations representing health professionals across Europe said this week that doctors and nurses should not be forced to take the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca PLC because it is shown to offer less robust protection against Covid-19 than others. two currently authorized in the European Union. They also expressed concern over reports that the AstraZeneca vaccine appeared to cause stronger reactions in recipients.
Hospitals said hundreds of health professionals scheduled to receive the vaccines had not appeared at their appointments in recent days, while many of those who had received the vaccine were crying sick after reporting painful headaches, fever and other symptoms.
Politicians and scientists insisted this week that it has been shown that shooting AstraZeneca works safely and that not using it would harm the fight against the pandemic in Europe. The vaccine showed an effectiveness of around 62% in the results of the final phase clinical trials reported last year. Other data suggested that overall efficacy was around 70%, if doses were separated longer. This compares with more than 90% efficacy in competing vaccine trials. However, trials of all authorized vaccines, including AstraZeneca, found that they offered 100% protection against serious illness, hospitalizations, and deaths.
A spokesman for AstraZeneca, which developed its vaccine with Oxford University, said: “Our vaccine has been licensed in more than 50 countries on four continents. There have been no confirmed serious adverse events associated with vaccination. “, said the spokesman.