Dr. Dzieiątkowski about the AstraZeneca vaccine: it’s better to have a fever for two days than to be exposed to COVID-19

Teachers and seniors in groups 60-65 are to be vaccinated with AstraZeneca. This worries them. The virologist reassures: The British have been vaccinating with this vaccine for two months and have not noticed anything like that. Anyway, it is probably better to have flu symptoms for two days than to be unvaccinated – says Dr. Tomasz Dzieścitkowski in an interview with Medonet.

1. In March, teachers and seniors aged 60-65 will be able to get vaccinated with AstraZeneca
2. AstraZeneca is of concern, not least because of recent reports of side effects following its administration in France
3. – Nowhere else, where they administer the AstraZeneca vaccine, has nothing like this been observed – says virologist Dr. Tomasz Dzieiątkowski
4. The symptoms were similar to the flu, but it is probably better to have a fever for two days than to expose yourself to the effects of COVID-19 – adds the virologist
5. You can find more up-to-date information on the coronavirus on the Onet homepage

Some seniors and teachers are concerned about AstraZeneca

After the publication of the new COVID-19 vaccination schedule for March, controversy was raised about the order and absence of some groups on the list, but also the vaccine itself. It turned out that teachers and seniors in the 60-65 age group would be given AstraZeneca.

In the case of this particular vaccine, some people included in the schedule for March are worried by reports of its side effects, as well as of lower effectiveness than in the case of preparations from Pfizer or Moderna.

AstraZeneca: side effects in 1,5% vaccinated in France

Recently, the French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products reported side effects in 150 medical staff in France following the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19.

“It’s a flu syndrome with high fever and muscle aches,” said Thierry Amouroux, a spokesman for the French nurses’ union, told the media. One of the French nurses said: “Give us a Pfizer vaccine, not a second-class vaccine.”

This is another piece of information about this vaccine that may cause concern. Earlier, there were doubts about the effectiveness of this preparation (60%) and the age of people to whom it can be administered. AstraZeneca was not intended for use in people over 65 years of age.

However, the more we know about this formulation, the less cause for concern. In any case, this is what Dr. Tomasz Dzieiątkowski, microbiologist and virologist from the Chair and Department of Medical Microbiology at the Medical University of Warsaw.

Dzieiątkowski: it’s better to have the flu for two days than to expose yourself to the effects of COVID-19

Adrian Dąbek, Medonet: In France, 150 medical staff experienced side effects after receiving AstraZeneca. It was 1,5 percent. vaccinated groups.

Dr. Tomasz Dzieiątkowski: It is not enough, but the British have been vaccinating with this vaccine for almost two months and they have not made such observations. As long as we are dealing with media information, nothing can be said unequivocally. The most important are clear messages from the government, i.e. the Ministry of Health, or from the manufacturer based on clinical trials.

1. The AstraZeneca vaccine has caused confusion. What do we know about her?

On the other hand, nowhere else where they administer the AstraZeneca vaccine, that is in the UK or up to a point in South Africa, has nothing of the sort been seen. Do the French have a different immune system? It is difficult to say anything at the moment. In the flood of media hype, I would be careful with such information.

The side effects seen in these 150 people were termed flu-like. Does that fall under the mild effect category?

You would have to look at the SmPC (Summary of Product Characteristics). If we are talking about flu-like symptoms, i.e. fever, joint and muscle pains that last a day or two, I have one question. Would you rather be unprotected against the coronavirus or have a fever of 38 degrees, chills and muscle aches for two days?

I think I would get over these two days.

I guess most rational people would get over it. Always in such a situation you should consider the balance of profits and potential risks.

Many people are also questionable about the changing age range at which this vaccine can be used.

This has changed because the EMA (European Medicines Agency) issued a regulation that it can be used in seniors at a time when it received additional data from the manufacturer. The longer this vaccine is on the market and the more information about it is available, the more we will know. This is normal, therefore all these preparations have conditional approvals.

1. British variant of the coronavirus – what is the scale of its presence in Poland?

When we talk about the effectiveness of the vaccine, we are actually talking about two aspects. One is how the vaccine protects you from getting sick, and the other is how much it protects you from severe complications.

Exactly. When it comes to the latter, AstraZeneca’s effectiveness is close to 100%. On the other hand, EMA at the very beginning adopted the lowest possible limit of preventing infection, i.e. the 60%. It turned out that as the interval between one dose and the other increases to about 12 weeks, this effectiveness increases to 83 percent. I guess there’s a difference between 60 and 83.

Of course, it is not yet 95%, as in the case of Pfizer or Moderna, but it is quite decent. Usually there is no such relationship, but there are published results of the study in «The Lancet» that say that If AstraZeneca is not given a second dose after four weeks, but after eight or even 12 weeks, AstrzaZeneca’s effectiveness increases.

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And this is good news about this vaccine, unlike most, which are unlikely to elicit enthusiasm in the average person.

Therefore, instead of agency information, you need to check scientific sources. And it’s not that someone doesn’t have access to these sources, because the trick is that everyone has access. In the era of COVID-19, all information on scientific papers devoted to this pandemic is free of charge and anyone can read it. And people often forget about it. Rather than putting in a little effort and reading, they prefer to wait for agency information.

Read also:

1. In France, many more infections, but fewer deaths than in Poland. Why do we have such a high mortality?
2. Nine arguments to convince skeptics to vaccinate
3. Grzesiowski: I do not approve of what happened in Zakopane, but on the other hand I am not surprised

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