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LONDON – There are signs that Europe’s divergent – and changing – usage rules for the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford are further confusing and mistrusting citizens.
Not only have EU citizens had to deal with a barrage of negative feelings about the vaccine, even from senior officials themselves, but they have also seen the gunshot suspended by over a dozen European countries over concerns over a small number of blood reports. clots.
The European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization, following data security reviews, recommended continued use of the vaccine, saying its benefits outweighed any risks. But those fears have not gone away, and confusion now reigns over which age group should and can get vaccinated.
Germany on Tuesday suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in all citizens under the age of 60, citing new concerns after a small number of reports of rare but serious blood clots. Earlier this week, some hospitals in Berlin initially stopped vaccinating women under 55 with AstraZeneca’s vaccine.
Germany initially authorized the use of the vaccine only in those under 65, saying there was not enough data to show that it was safe and effective for the elderly, although it did canceled this decision in early March.
Meanwhile, Spain decided on Wednesday to extend the use of the vaccine to essential workers over 65. The vaccine was previously reserved for the 55 to 65 age group, but will now be made available to priority groups in this age group such as health workers, police or teachers.
In France, the AstraZeneca vaccine was also not initially authorized for those over 65, French President Emmanuel Macron, now criticized for his wheelchair epidemiology by many French commentators, wrongly claiming that the vaccine was “almost ineffective” for the over 65s. .
France subsequently reversed this position as more clinical trial data emerged, saying the vaccine would be approved for people with comorbidities, including those aged 65 to 74.
Confused yet? You’re not alone. Comments on Twitter show people on both sides are confused about official positions on the vaccine.
A Germany-based Twitter user noted that “you can’t blame people for being confused” after listing the twists and turns that characterized AstraZeneca’s vaccine timeline.
Another user, Aetera, based in Germany noted that “not everyone here knows if it’s good or bad” while another UK Twitter user, Mike Carrivick, said overturning the rules for the use of the vaccine was “the irony of irony”, but with potentially serious consequences. He noted: “No wonder many are confused and lives put at risk.”
London-based Kristen Covo was another Twitter user expressing confusion over AstraZeneca’s security information following its suspension in a handful of European countries and then resuming use following advice from the EMA and of the WHO.
Regarding the issue of giving the second dose of vaccine to younger people who have already received a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the German Vaccine Committee has said it will issue guidance on this matter. here the end of April.
The ambivalent and shifting stance taken by European countries on the vaccine was made all the more puzzling by an accompanying narrative (and a big dispute) over vaccine supplies.
The EU has repeatedly castigated the drug maker for failing to meet its delivery schedule, while at the same time various EU officials and leaders have raised doubts about the vaccine’s effectiveness, raising doubts about the vaccine’s effectiveness. has in turn aroused skepticism vis-à-vis many European citizens.
A Brussels-based BBC journalist said it had been called an ‘Aldi vaccine’, named after the low-cost grocery store, because people saw the blow as an economic option. There are other reports of people asking for the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna injections instead of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
As an English Twitter user called gazztrade asked on Wednesday, the EU “does or does not want the AstraZeneca vaccine?”
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