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Poles do not want to vaccinate against COVID-19 with Vaxzevria, produced by Astra Zeneka. As reported by Gazeta Wyborcza, more and more vaccination points are resigning from ordering this vaccine because there are no people willing to get it. There are already over a million free doses of Vaxzevria by the end of June. Why this reluctance or even fear of the Astra Zeneki vaccine and why should you not be afraid of it? We explain.
- «Gazeta Wyborcza»: more and more vaccination points are resigning from ordering AstraZeneka because there are no people willing to do so
- Until the end of June, there are over a million free dates for vaccination against COVID-19 with this preparation
- The main cause of reluctance is the cases of thrombotic complications, which the media has been writing about for several months
- In April, the EMA confirmed that Vaxzevria’s benefits are greater than its risks for adults of all age groups.
- Infectious diseases specialist, Dr. Stopyra: the question of possible contraindications for taking the preparation will come out when completing the qualifying questionnaire
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage.
Poles do not want to vaccinate themselves with AstraZeneka. Where does this reluctance come from?
«I am ordering AstraZeneka now only for those who are going to get a second dose. There are almost no volunteers for the first one, so it would be counterproductive, “says the head of one of the Silesian vaccination centers, quoted by Gazeta Wyborcza. There was information about free dates for Vaxzevria vaccination before. According to the daily, by the end of June there are over a million of them.
Let us recall that already in March Michał Dworczyk admitted that after the information about the side effects of AstraZeneca vaccines, “up to several dozen percent of people” did not come to vaccinations (back then it was not possible to choose a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2). The dislike or even fear of Vaxzevria continues. Their main cause are cases of thrombotic complications, which have been reported in the media for several months.
- We’re gonna have a problem. Many Poles do not want to vaccinate
In fact, the aversion to AstraZeneka has no rational basis. However, as “Wyborcza” notes, when the bad atmosphere around the vaccine spilled around the world, distrust of the preparation “was already developing along its own path”. It is worth recalling the words of an infectious diseases specialist, Dr. Lidia Stopyra. – We should not be afraid of any vaccine, because each one is good, and let’s try to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Currently, our main priority is to vaccinate as many people as possible as soon as possible – she emphasized in a recent interview with Medonet.
Doctor: All available COVID-19 vaccines are safe
As mentioned earlier, the biggest concern with AstraZeneca relates to the information on cases (let us emphasize very rarely) of blood clots with a low platelet count that have occurred after vaccination with the preparation.
Recall that on April 23, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced that it was maintaining its assessment, recognizing that Vaxzevria’s benefits are greater than its risks for adults of all age groups. EMA indicated that the most common side effects after taking the preparation are “usually mild to moderate and disappear within a few days”. Of course, the agency also referred to the most serious side effects, the aforementioned cases of blood clots with a low platelet count, which were highlighted as very rare and occurring approximately once in a million people vaccinated.
It is worth quoting the words of Dr. James Douketis from Canada, who specializes in blood tests, including thrombosis: current estimates say 99,998% people who have received the Astra Zeneca vaccine will not be affected by this problem.
We also recall that embolic and thrombotic events also occurred after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The EMA, after analyzing the reported cases, also announced that the likelihood of side effects is very low and that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks.
These issues were addressed by the contagious agent, Dr. Lidia Stopyra. – Remember that thrombotic episodes do happen, but it cannot be said that everything that happens four weeks after vaccination with AstraZeneka or J&J is a reaction to the drug taken. The doctor pays attention to another important thing. – Even with mild COVID-19 courses, the risk of thrombosis is much greater than after vaccination. We should not risk – he warns. – I would like to emphasize that all available COVID-19 vaccines are safe and recommended – notes the specialist.
When not to have AstraZenca?
Although manufacturers of COVID-19 vaccines have developed them so that as many people as possible can adopt them, not everyone will be able to do so. What situations absolutely preclude the administration of Astra Zeneki, Vaxzevria? Information on this subject has been included by the manufacturer in the characteristics of the preparation. Dr. Lidia Stopyra reminds that these contraindications are extremely rare and these are absolutely exceptional situations.
The intake of AstraZeneca excludes hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients, including, but not limited to, L-histidine, L-histidine hydrochloride monohydrate, ethanol, sucrose, sodium chloride, water for injections.
Regarding thrombocytopenia and blood clotting disorders, the manufacturer recalls: «as with other intramuscular injections, the vaccine should be administered with caution to people who are receiving anticoagulant therapy, or who have thrombocytopenia or another blood clotting disorder (such as haemophilia), because after If administered intramuscularly, such persons may bleed or bruise »(details).
However, the question arises, what to do when we are still not sure if we can take the COVID-19 vaccine? In an interview with Medonet, Dr. Lidia Stopyra reminds that the question of possible contraindications will come up when completing the questionnaire qualifying for vaccination. – It is constructed in such a way that it “catches” much more than it should be “caught” – says the doctor. So if there are any doubts, the doctor will look at them carefully.
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