Thursday

28th Mar 2024

EU defends all vaccines, amid lower AstraZeneca take-up

  • Several countries, including Germany, Belgium, and France, have advised against giving AstraZeneca vaccine to the elderly (Photo: European Commission)

The European Commission defended the bloc's strict regulatory process for vaccines as crucial for both safety as well as for persuading EU citizens to get the jab, calling on member states to fight any particular vaccine hesitancy with more information.

The comments come after several member states reported a low acceptance rate for the AstraZeneca vaccine, with healthcare workers opting for other jabs - triggering fears over a knock-on potential slowdown of national vaccine programmes.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

"[EMA's] assessment is itself a very powerful signal to citizens that these vaccines that they are injected with are safe and effective," a commission spokesperson said on Monday (22 February).

"But, in addition, it is important that member states and the commission continue to inform citizens of the importance of getting the vaccines done because we need certain levels of vaccination to win this fight against the virus," he added.

Brussels aims to vaccinate at least 70 percent of its adult population by the end of September.

However, health authorities in some European countries - such as Germany, Italy, Austria and Bulgaria - are facing resistance to AstraZeneca's vaccine over fears and confusion regarding age limitations, efficacy against new mutations and side effects.

Several countries, including Germany, Belgium, and France, have advised against giving it to the elderly.

And health workers in some members states have reported stronger reactions from the AstraZeneca jab than those seen with the alternative vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech.

For example, two of 21 healthcare regions in Sweden had to pause vaccinations of their staff when a quarter called in sick after being vaccinated with the AstraZeneca shot.

In Germany, meanwhile, only some 187,000 of the 1.5 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses received so far have been used, according to the Robert Koch Institute.

And experts warned that the country's vaccine schedule could be pushed back by up to two months if the AstraZeneca jab is not widely accepted.

"From our point of view, it is wrong that this vaccine is available but not being used," said last week German health minister Jens Spahn.

Earlier this month, a group representing 3,000 doctors in Italy also wrote in a letter to the Italian government that "private doctors and dentists be inoculated with mRNA vaccines" like those developed by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech, arguing that "there is evidence they are more effective" in comparison to AstraZeneca.

AstraZeneca's vector-based vaccine is the third jab authorised in the EU. It demonstrated around a 60 percent efficacy in the clinical trials, while Moderna and Pfizer/BioNtech jabs showed a 95 percent.

Hospitalisations fall

Meanwhile, a research led by Public Health Scotland found on Monday that hospitalisations were reduced by 85 percent and 94 percent of the Pfizer/BioNtech and AstraZeneca jabs respectively in the fourth week after the first dose.

For people over 80 years old, there was an overall 81 percent cut in hospital admissions.

The data, covering 1.14 million vaccinations given in Scotland between 8 December and 15 February, validates the UK's decision to delay the second jab for up to twelve weeks in favour of vaccinating as many people as possible with a single dose.

Lead researcher professor Aziz Sheikh said the results showed that vaccines were working "spectacularly".

"These results are very encouraging and have given us great reasons to be optimistic for the future," she said.

Agenda

EU summit on vaccine problems This WEEK

EU foreign affairs ministers will meet in Brussels and are expected to agree to visa-bans and asset-freezes on Russian officials involved in the jailing of opposition figurehead Alexei Navalny.

EU Commission casts doubt on Russian Sputnik vaccine

Hungary is buying up vaccines from Russia and China. But tricky regulatory oversight questions remain as the European Commission sheds doubt on the quality and safety of Sputnik production.

Stakeholder

I love the EU - but the vaccine strategy is a fiasco

In my opinion, the contracts Europe negotiated with the pharmaceutical companies were extremely unbalanced. Precise on pricing and liabilities but weak and vague on supply and timing, and with escape routes to the contractual obligations of the pharmaceutical companies involved.

Opinion

What Estonia and Slovakia did to beat AstraZeneca 'hesitancy'

Slovakia has launched a mass vaccination programme aimed at teachers and childcare workers. Estonia, for its part, has begun inoculating frontline workers including teachers, police officers and members of the armed forces ahead of schedule.

EU commisisoner Šuica sounds alarm on demographic shift

The EU will have to step up its efforts to tackle looming demographic challenges over the next five years. If not, the bloc faces "sleepwalking into dark scenarios", warns EU commission vice-president Dubravka Šuica.

Latest News

  1. Kenyan traders react angrily to proposed EU clothes ban
  2. Lawyer suing Frontex takes aim at 'antagonistic' judges
  3. Orban's Fidesz faces low-polling jitters ahead of EU election
  4. German bank freezes account of Jewish peace group
  5. EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania
  6. 'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told
  7. Moscow's terror attack, security and Gaza
  8. Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  2. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries
  3. European Citizen's InitiativeThe European Commission launches the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students in the EU.
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  5. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  6. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us