WARSAW, Poland (AP) – Many Europeans are desperate for a coronavirus vaccine. But not just any vaccine.
As AstraZeneca vaccines are being rolled out to European Union countries this month, in addition to the doses of Pfizer and Moderna already available, some people are hesitant to receive a vaccine that they consider – reasonably or not – the second best.
Poland started vaccinating teachers on Friday with the AstraZeneca vaccine, and some feared being put in line for a vaccine they believe to be less effective than others.
Ewelina Jankowska, director of a primary and secondary school in the southern Wilanow district of Warsaw, said that no one at her school was enthusiastic about the AstraZeneca injection, although many have signed up, looking forward to any protection against a virus that has lives and their students’ schooling.
“I still fear the disease more than the AstraZeneca vaccine,” said Jankowska, who was infected with COVID-19 in November and made a very slow recovery.
AstraZeneca, an Anglo-Swedish company, developed its vaccine with the University of Oxford. Although regulators in more than 50 countries, including the EU’s anti-drug body, have authorized its widespread use, it has drawn more criticism than others due to concerns about its testing in humans.
Several European countries recommended the drug only for people under 65, and other countries recommended it for those under 55, because AstraZeneca’s trials included a relatively small number of older people.
AstraZeneca’s CEO, Pascal Soriot, acknowledged the criticisms, but said that regulators reviewed the data and found the vaccine safe and effective. COVID-19 vaccines are scarce, he said, and the AstraZeneca injection offers high levels of protection against serious diseases, which is the most important reference in fighting a virus that has killed more than 2.3 million people worldwide .
“It’s perfect? No, it’s not perfect, but it’s great, ”said Soriot on Thursday. “We are going to save thousands of lives and that is why we are going to work every day.”
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The World Health Organization says the AstraZeneca vaccine is about 63 percent effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 after two doses. This is less than the 95 percent effectiveness reported by Pfizer and Moderna, but experts warn against such comparisons, as the studies were done at different times and under different conditions. In addition, all have been shown to be extremely effective in preventing serious illness and death.
“If you are offered any approved vaccine, take it,” said Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. “They were all found safely. Vaccines are the world’s way back to some kind of normalcy. “
French President Emmanuel Macron angered scientists last month when he called the AstraZeneca vaccine “almost ineffective” for people over 65 – a comment that came hours before the European Medicines Agency approved it and said it could be used by all adults, including those over 65. Those who criticized Macron argued that he had spoken irresponsibly and encouraged skepticism about the vaccine.
French Health Minister Olivier Veran, 40, made a point of getting the AstraZeneca vaccine this week to show the government’s confidence in it for those under 65.
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In addition to AstraZeneca’s problems, there are the EU’s criticisms of non-delivery, its lack of approval still in the US and a preliminary study that raised questions about the vaccine’s ability to combat a variant of COVID-19 discovered in South Africa. South. In its favor, however, it is cheaper and can be stored in refrigerator temperatures – not the much colder temperatures required for Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
In Cyprus, Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou warned that opting for one instead of the other could delay inoculations due to limited vaccine deliveries from Pfizer and Moderna in the coming weeks, and he noted that “all three vaccines dramatically reduce hospitalizations and deaths ”.
Still, in Poland, Spain and Italy, some unions have complained that their members are scheduled to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine, expressing concerns that they were being treated as less important than groups receiving doses of Pfizer or Moderna.
Police unions in Spain have raised concerns about the government’s decision to administer AstraZeneca shots to police, military, firefighters and teachers.
Some Italian private sector doctors are refusing AstraZeneca’s injections, saying that they want Pfizer or Moderna injections to go to public health professionals.
“I am not an AstraZeneca no-vax. But for a population at risk, health professionals must use the same vaccination strategy for everyone and not create any discrimination, ”said Dr. Paolo Mezzana, a plastic surgeon from Rome who helps manage a group of private doctors in the Facebook. They published refusals to accept the AstraZeneca injection after vaccinations started this week.
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In Poland, the government announced earlier this month that the planned delivery of more than 1 million doses of AstraZeneca meant that teachers could get their vaccines ahead of schedule, because the vaccine would not be given to older adults.
But instead of expressing relief, the head of the teachers’ union, Slawomir Broniarz, criticized the use of the vaccine in statements that, in turn, were criticized by scientists and the government.
Michal Dworczyk, who leads the government’s vaccination effort, said he regretted “that some irresponsible politicians or unions have tried to scare teachers or cause so much anxiety by providing false information about the AstraZeneca vaccine.”
However, a sense of apprehension has settled among teachers, who have been in conflict with the government for years because of low salaries and unpopular reforms.
Patrycja Swistowska, who teaches second grade at Wilanow school, said she signed up for the AstraZeneca shot, despite her fears and confusion.
“I feel that teachers are mistreated and this is the vaccine that they offered us. They did not offer us the vaccines given to doctors and other professional groups, ”said Swistowska, 39.“ I am disoriented and I don’t feel good about it. We received worse wages and this is just another example of being shown our place. “
In Italy, the head of the SAP police union, Stefano Paoloni, argued that if police believe they are getting a less effective vaccine through the police force, they can give up and wait to get another injection later, when the rest of the population is vaccinated. This would nullify the strategy of vaccinating as many people at risk as quickly as possible.
Some unions are moving forward with the implementation of AstraZeneca without complaint, reflecting gratitude for getting any protection.
Dr. Arianna Patricarca, a 52-year-old Italian dentist who received the AstraZeneca injection on Thursday, said it was “a great opportunity and I am very happy to have done it”.
The Warsaw preschool principal, Agnieszka Grabowska, also enjoyed receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine on Friday.
“It is a great relief,” said Grabowska, 48, adding that she was exhausted after a year of the pandemic.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment all year,” she said.
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Winfield reported from Rome. Associated Press writers Danica Kirka in London; Aritz Parra in Madrid; Menelaos Hadjicostis in Nicosia, Cyprus; Angela Charlton in Paris; and Monika Scislowska in Warsaw contributed.