VACCINATION: Nearly ten countries have suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine as a precaution
Like several countries, the Bouches-du-Rhône firefighters on Monday suspended the vaccination of their staff with the AstraZeneca vaccine after adverse side effects, they announced.
“As a precaution, we suspended the second injection of the AstraZeneca vaccine,” said a spokesperson for the Departmental Fire and Rescue Service (SDIS), after a firefighter in Arles was hospitalized for an arrhythmia cardiac after its first injection. Contacted, the Regional Health Agency was not immediately available to react.
One of the four vaccines authorized in France
According to a source familiar with the matter, this decision only concerns firefighters in the Bouches-du-Rhône department. The Arles firefighter who presented an arrhythmia after being vaccinated on March 8 “is much better” Monday, according to SDIS.
About sixty firefighters from Bouches-du-Rhône received the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine last week. In public vaccination centres where they intervene with the population, firefighters use the vaccine from Pfizer / BioNTech companies, they said. AstraZeneca’s vaccine is one of the four vaccines authorized to be administered in France at present to fight the Covid-19 epidemic.
No reason not to use it for WHO
Nearly ten countries have suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19 as a precaution, after the reporting of “possible” side effects but without a proven link at this stage.
The Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical group says there is “no evidence of an increased risk” of a blood clot caused by its vaccine, while the World Health Organization (WHO) believes there is ” no reason not to use this vaccine.
