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Several French hospitals pause AstraZeneca vaccine campaign over temporary side effects

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Several French hospitals pause AstraZeneca vaccine campaign over temporary side effects
An occupational health practitioner vaccinates an employee with a dose of AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine at a health centre for employees of the publicity and communication sectors on February 25, 2021 in Paris. - The vaccination against the COVID-19 has started for employees who are between 50 and 64-year-old who have comorbidities. (Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP)

Several French hospitals are pausing or slowing down AstraZeneca vaccination programmes for their staff because severe - albeit temporary - side effects have caused many employees to need sick leave, causing severe logistical problems in already over-stretched services.

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Since French health workers started receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine on February 6th, many have reported experiencing side effects including a high fever (40C), fatigue and general flu-like symptoms.

The French health ministry has moved to reassure staff that these effects are temporary and do not mean that the vaccine does not work.

But now some hospitals in France have decided to slow down their vaccination campaigns in order to avoid having too many staff off sick at the same time, while others are pausing them altogether.

Thomas Bourhis, a nurse at CHRU hospital in Brest, Brittany,

Vaccin AstraZeneca: pour Thomas Bourhis, infirmier au CHRU de Brest, "les effets secondaires ont été manifestement sous-évalués" pic.twitter.com/YBbyW7rmIx

— BFMTV (@BFMTV) February 12, 2021 ">told BFMTV. “The CHRU Brest hospital undertook an unusual strategy, because it created a vaccination team that went to the departments that were most exposed to Covid-19, which means entire teams were vaccinated all at once.

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“But it turns out the side effects were underestimated, and we found ourselves with almost a third of health workers in some departments presenting severe symptoms and having to go on sick leave.

“The roll out of this vaccine has therefore been suspended temporarily at the hospital.”

Studies show these secondary effects have nothing to do with the vaccine’s effectiveness, and are not harmful.

"The secondary effects of the Covid-19 vaccines are carefully monitored by ANSM [The French National Drug Safety Agency]. For the AstraZeneca vaccine, it’s important to remember that any side effects remain benign and temporary," the health ministry said in a tweet.

In a report published on Thursday, the ANSM listed "149 declarations between February 6th and 10th mentioning flu symptoms, often of high intensity". The average age of the health professionals concerned was 34.

To avoid disrupting healthcare services, the ANSM recommended "staggering vaccination in staff".

The Poitiers University Hospital (CHU de Poitiers) has began to do this by avoiding vaccinating entire teams all at once, and at least three hospitals in the west of France have suspended AstraZeneca vaccinations of their staff, according to a report by France Bleu.

A hospital in Saint-Lô in Normandy has also slowed down its vaccinations, while the CHRU de Brest hospital (Finistère) has decided to suspend its vaccination campaign completely, according to Ouest France.

The AstraZeneca vaccine in France is only licenced for under 65s, so until now it has been used almost exclusively on health professionals, while older people visiting vaccine centres get the Pfizer BioNTech or Moderna jabs.

Starting on Thursday, people between the ages of 50 and 64 with underlying health conditions can also begin to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine through their GPs or in the workplace.

The AstraZeneca jab is also expected to be used more widely once France rolls out injections more widely in the community, particularly in pharmacies, since it does not require the super-cold storage of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine.

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My Human Genome Research! | tabby35 2021/03/06 04:00
[…] Several French hospitals pause AstraZeneca vaccine campaign over temporary side effects – The … […]
Daniela.Provvedi_305595 2021/02/26 19:22
Here are 12 important questions and answers before considering getting vaccinated: ●"If I get vaccinated can I stop wearing a mask(s)?" Government: "NO" ●"If I get vaccinated will the restaurants, bars, schools, fitness clubs, hair salons, etc. reopen and will people be able to get back to work like normal? Government: "NO" ●"If I get vaccinated will I be resistant to Covid?" Government: "Maybe. We don't know exactly, but probably not." ●"If I get vaccinated, at least I won't be contagious to others - right?" Government: "NO. the vaccine doesn’t stop transmission." ●"If I get vaccinated, how long will the vaccine last?" Government: "No one knows. All Covid "vaccines" are still in the experimental stage." ● "If I get vaccinated, can I stop social distancing?" Government: "NO" ● "If my parents, grandparents and myself all get vaccinated can we hug each other again?" Government: "NO" ● "So what's the benefit of getting vaccinated?" Government: "Hoping that the virus won't kill you." ●"Are you sure the vaccine won't injure or kill me?" Government: "NO" ●"If statistically the virus won't kill me (99.7% survival rate), why should I get vaccinated?" Government: "To protect others." ●"So if I get vaccinated, I can protect 100% of people I come in contact with?" Government: "NO" ● "If I experience a severe adverse reaction, long term effects (still unknown) or die from the vaccine will I (or my family) be compensated from the vaccine manufacture or the Government?" Government: "NO - the government and vaccine manufactures have 100% zero liability regarding this experimental drug" So to summarize, the Covid19 "vaccine"... Does not provide immunity Does not eliminate the virus Does not prevent death Does not guarantee you won’t get it Does not stop you from passing it on to others Does not eliminate the need for travel bans Does not eliminate the need for business closures Does not eliminate the need for lockdowns Does not eliminate the need for masking If after reading this you still decide to get the "vaccine"...GOOD LUCK & DON'T SAY YOU WEREN'T WARNED And people who question this lunacy are called “crazy”.
  • Anonymous 2021/03/01 16:58
    Do you have a source for all of these responses..?
Anonymous 2021/02/26 17:16
Pity the French government have added to the chaos by talking down AZ for political reasons :-)
Anonymous 2021/02/25 21:59
How much slower could this rollout possibly go? Covid tracker.fr estimating herd immunity by end of September 2023 at this point.
Anonymous 2021/02/25 18:29
Meanwhile, in the real world, studies show that the AZ vaccine works brilliantly. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-56153600?fbclid=IwAR3lkHb227zQNkgh-oB_ZVmvCfZr5-YNzj-VcXusQFzY5tT_WAt8I4YfE_s
  • Anonymous 2021/02/26 17:18
    It's a mystery why only the French are allergic to the Oxford-AZ vaccine 😉
  • Anonymous 2021/02/26 08:34
    Whether it works or not, the side effects immediately after getting the vaccine are potentially debilitating for some people in the short term. Fine if you can go home and sleep it off but for overstretched medical services probably not the best choice of vaccine to administer. Overall I prefer the caution of the French government to the gung ho attitude 'take it on the chin' approach of some countries.

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