‘Up to 80%’ of people in Sicily refusing AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine over safety concerns
The vast majority of people offered the Oxford/AstraZeneca anti-Covid vaccine Vaxzevria on the southern Italian island of Sicily are refusing to take it, according to the region’s president, Nello Musumeci.
“In Sicily, there is an 80% refusal rate of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Every 100 people, 80 say no,” Musumeci said late Saturday night, according to media reports.
He added that it is “natural” for people to be hesitant about the vaccine – recently rebranded as Vaxzevria – but they must believe scientists when they tell them that “it is more dangerous not to get vaccinated than to get vaccinated.”
In a Sunday statement, a spokesperson for the president attempted to clear up the comments, saying Musumeci meant to say “up to 80 percent” are refusing the vaccine, as some regions have a much lower refusal rate, such as Syracuse, where just 30% apparently feared the vaccine enough to say no.
Mucumeci’s announcement followed advice earlier this week from the European Medicines Agency that blood clots should be listed as a “very rare” side-effect of the Vaxzevria. It had examined 86 cases of vaccinated individuals developing blood clots, 18 of which ended fatally.
AstraZeneca responded to the recommendation by saying it was “actively collaborating with regulators” to “implement these changes to the product information.” It referred to the clotting cases as “extremely rare events.”
Though it’s unknown exactly why blood clots can develop post-immunization, researchers in Norway and Germany have said those who developed them had antibodies that reacted negatively to the vaccine, and they had been primarily prevalent in younger individuals.
Vaxzevria has been put on pause in multiple countries. Germany, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Portugal, and Spain have recommended only people aged over 60 receive the widely distributed shot, while France and Canada have recommended alternative vaccines for younger people.
Franco Locatelli, a health adviser to the Italian government on Covid-19, said on Sunday that Vaxzevria is “safe and effective,” but added, “If we find ourselves facing a disarming number of defections, we will reconsider the issue.”
Italy, one of the countries hit worst by the pandemic, has vaccinated nearly four million citizens thus far – approximately 6% of its population of 60 million.
He added that it is “natural” for people to be hesitant about the vaccine – recently rebranded as Vaxzevria – but they must believe scientists when they tell them that “it is more dangerous not to get vaccinated than to get vaccinated.”
In a Sunday statement, a spokesperson for the president attempted to clear up the comments, saying Musumeci meant to say “up to 80 percent” are refusing the vaccine, as some regions have a much lower refusal rate, such as Syracuse, where just 30% apparently feared the vaccine enough to say no.
Mucumeci’s announcement followed advice earlier this week from the European Medicines Agency that blood clots should be listed as a “very rare” side-effect of the Vaxzevria. It had examined 86 cases of vaccinated individuals developing blood clots, 18 of which ended fatally.
AstraZeneca responded to the recommendation by saying it was “actively collaborating with regulators” to “implement these changes to the product information.” It referred to the clotting cases as “extremely rare events.”
Though it’s unknown exactly why blood clots can develop post-immunization, researchers in Norway and Germany have said those who developed them had antibodies that reacted negatively to the vaccine, and they had been primarily prevalent in younger individuals.
Vaxzevria has been put on pause in multiple countries. Germany, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Portugal, and Spain have recommended only people aged over 60 receive the widely distributed shot, while France and Canada have recommended alternative vaccines for younger people.
Franco Locatelli, a health adviser to the Italian government on Covid-19, said on Sunday that Vaxzevria is “safe and effective,” but added, “If we find ourselves facing a disarming number of defections, we will reconsider the issue.”
Italy, one of the countries hit worst by the pandemic, has vaccinated nearly four million citizens thus far – approximately 6% of its population of 60 million.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.