Healthcare unions in Europe say thousands of their members are refusing to take one of the three Covid-19 vaccines in the region due to concerns about efficacy and side effects reports, the latest setback for the slow explosion of the vaccine.
Organizations representing health workers across Europe said this week that doctors and nurses should not be forced to take the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca PLC, as it appears to offer less strong protection against Covid-19 than the other two currently available. authorized in the European Union. They also expressed concern about reports that the AstraZeneca vaccine appears to have caused stronger reactions in recipients.
Hospitals said hundreds of health workers who had to receive the vaccines had not turned up for their appointments in recent days, while many who had the chance called in sick after reporting painful headaches, fever and other symptoms.
Politicians and scientists this week insisted that it was proven that the AstraZeneca shot works safely and that it will not undermine the fight against the pandemic in Europe. The vaccine has shown efficacy of approximately 62% in the clinical trial results reported in the late stage. Further data suggest that the overall efficacy was approximately 70% if doses were spread longer. This compares with more than 90% efficacy in trials of competing vaccines. However, trials of all authorized vaccines, including AstraZeneca, have found that they offer 100% protection against serious diseases, hospitalizations and death.
A spokesman for AstraZeneca, which developed its vaccine with the University of Oxford, said: ‘Our vaccine has been authorized in more than 50 countries in four continents. “There were no confirmed serious side effects associated with vaccination,” the spokesman said.