key: cord-0768253-rble6kjr
authors: Vallée, Alexandre; Chan-Hew-Wai, Aurélie; Bonan, Brigitte; Lesprit, Philippe; Parquin, François; Catherinot, Émilie; Choucair, Jad; Billard, David; Amiel-Taieb, Carline; Camps, Ève; Cerf, Charles; Zucman, David; Fourn, Erwan
title: Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine: need of a reasoned and effective vaccine campaign
date: 2021-06-02
journal: Public Health
DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2021.05.030
sha: cbb7080957bf8e2124d9ce496116a9548d054e95
doc_id: 768253
cord_uid: rble6kjr

Objectives A strong COVID-19 vaccine campaign is needed to reach the herd immunity and reduce this pandemic infection. Study design In the Foch Hospital, France, in February 2021, 451 healthcare workers were vaccinated by a first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine. Methods Adverse effects were reported to our pharmaco-vigilance circuit, by an online and anonymous questionnaire following the first weeks of the vaccinal campaign to healthcare workers. Results 274 (60.8%) of them reported multiple adverse effects. Main adverse effects reported were feverish state/chills (65.7%), fatigue/physical discomfort (62.4%), arthralgia/muscle pain (61.0%) and fever (44.5%). Conclusions On March 2021 many European countries suspended AstraZeneca vaccine for one week due to safety uncertainty. Thus, confidence in its efficacy is undermined. However, the benefit/risk balance is clearly in favor of vaccination.

As for March 2021, SARS-CoV-2 infection has caused more than 120 millions infections worldwide with a total death more than 2.8 millions. A massive vaccine campaign was started in numerous countries with a variety of vaccines (Moderna, Pfizer/BionTech, Sputnik V, AstraZeneca). Epidemiologic studies have shown that COVID-19 vaccines should participate in the reduction of this pandemic infection and eventually yield to herd immunity when around 70% of populations get fully vaccinated 1 Previous studies have reported that this vaccine showed few serious adverse events 5,6 .

In the Foch Hospital, France, in February 2021, 451 healthcare workers were vaccinated by a first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine. 274 (60.8%) of them reported multiple adverse effects to our pharmaco-vigilance circuit, by an online questionnaire following the first weeks of the vaccinal campaign to healthcare workers. The median age of healthcare workers with adverse effects was 33 years (range= 25 to 42), and 210 (76.6%) were female. The median interval for vaccine receipt to symptom onset was 0 day (range=0 to 1). Main adverse effects reported were feverish state/chills (65.7%), fatigue/physical discomfort (62.4%), arthralgia/muscle J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f pain (61.0%) and fever (44.5%). All adverse effects were reported in Table 1 . The symptoms duration was inferior to 48 hours in majority. However, these adverse effects remain mild and have relatively little impact on health. The benefit/risk balance is clearly in favor of vaccination.

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy might represent a major hurdle to achieving herd is an urgent need to deploy an effective vaccine campaign as quickly as possible, but we fear that the multiplication of few adverse effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine will have a detrimental effect on the confidence of specific populations, including healthcare workers, and then, within the general population. Safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines are needed to reassure the population and to achieve an herd immunity.

The authors declare no conflict of interest with his work.

Not applicable due to the anonymous aspect of online questionnaire.

No funding J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f 

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