Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/202102...e-on-health-workers-covid19-brittany-normandy
French hospitals slow down staff vaccinations due to AstraZeneca side effects
Issued on: 14/02/2021 - 18:14
Text by: RFI
A few days after the first injections of the British AstraZeneca vaccine in France on 6 February, many health workers reported strong side effects such as flu-like symptoms. Several hospitals in western France have decided to stagger their vaccination campaigns.
The hospitals in Brest and Morlaix in France's western region of Brittany reported "high proportions of vaccinated people presenting side effects", according to the news website Le T?l?gramme, leading to between 20 and 25% of the vaccinated staff in Brest to take time off work.
The Saint-L? hospital in Normandy on Thursday, suspended the vaccination of its health professionals launched the day before, due to malaise among the vaccinated staff.
"It puts us in difficulty when we have whole teams being vaccinated on the same day and 15% of the team has post-vaccination symptoms," M?lanie Cotigny, the hospital communications officer, told French news agency AFP.
"The laboratory [AstraZeneca] announced 12 to 15% side effects on this vaccination, so we knew it but we didn't anticipate it that way".
14,000 doses of the vaccine were delivered to Brittany last week, 15,600 are due to arrive next week. The vaccine requires two doses.
Recent doubts over the efficacy of the AstraZeneca jab, have arisen in recent weeks, particularly due to lack of data for patients over 55.
Pharmacovigilance declarations
The French National Drug Safety Agency (ANSM), in its situation report, published Thursday, lists "149 pharmacovigilance declarations between the morning of 6 and 10 February mentioning flu syndromes often of high intensity".
Over this period, about 10,000 people received a dose, the ANSM continued. For the moment in France, this serum is reserved for health professionals under 65 years of age.
These "flu syndromes, often of high intensity" involve a high fever - with an average temperature of 39 degrees - but also fatigue, aches and pains and headaches. The average age of the health professionals concerned is 34...
French hospitals slow down staff vaccinations due to AstraZeneca side effects
Issued on: 14/02/2021 - 18:14
Text by: RFI
A few days after the first injections of the British AstraZeneca vaccine in France on 6 February, many health workers reported strong side effects such as flu-like symptoms. Several hospitals in western France have decided to stagger their vaccination campaigns.
The hospitals in Brest and Morlaix in France's western region of Brittany reported "high proportions of vaccinated people presenting side effects", according to the news website Le T?l?gramme, leading to between 20 and 25% of the vaccinated staff in Brest to take time off work.
The Saint-L? hospital in Normandy on Thursday, suspended the vaccination of its health professionals launched the day before, due to malaise among the vaccinated staff.
"It puts us in difficulty when we have whole teams being vaccinated on the same day and 15% of the team has post-vaccination symptoms," M?lanie Cotigny, the hospital communications officer, told French news agency AFP.
"The laboratory [AstraZeneca] announced 12 to 15% side effects on this vaccination, so we knew it but we didn't anticipate it that way".
14,000 doses of the vaccine were delivered to Brittany last week, 15,600 are due to arrive next week. The vaccine requires two doses.
Recent doubts over the efficacy of the AstraZeneca jab, have arisen in recent weeks, particularly due to lack of data for patients over 55.
Pharmacovigilance declarations
The French National Drug Safety Agency (ANSM), in its situation report, published Thursday, lists "149 pharmacovigilance declarations between the morning of 6 and 10 February mentioning flu syndromes often of high intensity".
Over this period, about 10,000 people received a dose, the ANSM continued. For the moment in France, this serum is reserved for health professionals under 65 years of age.
These "flu syndromes, often of high intensity" involve a high fever - with an average temperature of 39 degrees - but also fatigue, aches and pains and headaches. The average age of the health professionals concerned is 34...
