Sluggish reboot for Oxford/AstraZeneca in France

PARIS — France is trying to beat back skepticism and kickstart its Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccination campaign after days of confusing statements about the safety of the jab.

Figures from the health authority, Santé Publique France, show that the uptake of the AstraZeneca vaccine dropped to just over 66,000 and 62,000 doses on Friday and Saturday. That’s down from an average of over 90,000 doses injected every day during the previous week.

“It’s not a collapse, we’ll have to watch the figures this week,” said Jérôme Marty, president of the UFML doctors trade union. Marty said half his vaccination slots for this week have been booked and he is confident the vaccinations will get back on track.

“It’s part mistrust, part logistics. We’ve got to restart the vaccinations. We need to call up patients, organize vaccination days, etc. You can’t switch it back on overnight.”

France was among several EU countries that suspended the use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine last week following reports that it could be linked to blood clotting. On Thursday, the European Medicines Agency declared that the vaccine was “safe and effective,” and the rollout resumed in France on Friday.

But that same day, the French health regulation agency recommended the jab only be given to those over 55 years old, on the basis that all three French patients who suffered blood clots after receiving the vaccine were younger. This was the second time the agency changed its recommendation for Oxford/AstraZeneca and last week’s suspension appears to have had an impact on public confidence. A YouGov poll published on Monday showed that more than 50 percent of people surveyed in France, Germany and Spain now believe the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine is unsafe.

In a bid to reassure the public, French Prime Minister Jean Castex was photographed getting the AstraZeneca jab on Friday. “I thought it would be a good idea to get vaccinated very quickly … to show citizens that it’s the way out of the crisis and it’s very safe,” he told reporters.

But some doctors say many patients no longer trust the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine after the government suspended its use for several days.

“None of my patients want to sign up for AstraZeneca anymore,” said Monique Luttenbacher-Rubel, a doctor working in a small village near Mulhouse. “The suspension created mistrust and many are still uncertain. I do my best to reassure them and to explain that there is no increased risk in the vaccinated population, but it’s complicated.”

Luttenbacher-Rubel said she has at least 100 patients eligible for vaccination and they all want to wait for another vaccine. “It was a very bad idea to suspend AstraZeneca, it will have a long-term effect on people,” she said.

France’s vaccination rollout has been beset with delays and controversies, and is still lagging behind many EU neighbours. Only 12 percent of the French have been vaccinated since the program started at the end of December.

Meanwhile, the country is currently battling a surge in COVID-19 cases and has imposed a monthlong lockdown in the Paris region, the Hauts-de-France and several areas in the south.