Corona vaccination: When doubts about the vaccine lead to excess
Many people have so far refused to be vaccinated with AstraZeneca . This has consequences for the vaccination sequence and can cause a possible vaccination surplus.
Doubts about AstraZeneca as a possible cause of vaccination backlog
In addition to the vaccines from BionTech/Pfizer and Moderna , a vaccine from AstraZeneca has also been approved since February 8th. Due to a lack of research data with older people, the vaccine is only to be given to people aged 18 to 64 years. With this assessment by the Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO), general doubts about the AstraZeneca vaccine are increasing. As a result, many people refuse to be vaccinated with AstraZeneca, important vaccines are left over and cannot be used quickly enough. There is an unnecessary vaccination surplus.
A further 1.1 million vaccine doses are to be delivered by AstraZeneca by Thursday, which could encourage an increased vaccination backlog throughout Germany. A total of nearly 3.2 million doses are available, but only 455,000 people have been vaccinated with AstraZeneca to date. The doubts about the vaccine are unfounded.
AstraZeneca: Unfounded doubts about the vaccine
Due to a lack of data on vaccination effectiveness from the age of 65, AstraZeneca is only recommended for people aged 18 to 64 years, but this does not mean that the vaccine is ineffective or would work worse than the previously approved vaccines.
STIKO points out that approval studies have confirmed an effectiveness of 71 percent against corona diseases. Full vaccination protection from AstraZeneca can be given as part of two vaccination doses, with an interval of nine to twelve weeks after the first vaccination before the second vaccination is recommended.
Side effects, such as pain at the injection site or cold or flu symptoms, can occur after vaccination with all vaccines that have been approved to date.
A new vaccine is also in the starting blocks. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is similar in structure to the AstraZeneca variant.
Johnson & Johnson vaccine pending approval in Europe
In the USA, the American drug agency FDA confirmed the approval of the Sars-CoV-2 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson after approval by external experts . The vaccine could also be approved as early as this month in Europe. Although the vaccination effectiveness is somewhat lower than that of the mRNA vaccines from Biontech/Pfizer and Moderna, the effect is no different from that of the AstraZeneca vaccination. The vaccine has the following advantages:
- One vaccination, no second vaccination necessary
- Can be stored at normal refrigerator temperatures
- Clinical studies confirm protection against Brazilian and South African mutation
This is how you recognize your vaccine
The most important clue to know which vaccine is intended for you is the date of the second vaccination:
- Biontech/Pfizer: 21 days between first and second vaccination
- Moderna: about 28 days between the first and second vaccination
- AstraZeneca: 10 to 12 weeks between first and second vaccination
No matter which vaccine is administered: all vaccines approved to date can protect against a severe course of corona disease and thus relieve the healthcare system. In order to prevent a possible vaccination backlog, the possibility of vaccination should be used or canceled in good time to enable other people who want to be vaccinated to make the appointment.