An association representing more than 100,000 local and regional police across Spain has asked the national government to suspend the vaccination of officers against the coronavirus with the AstraZeneca formula.
The Confederation of Local and Regional Security Forces claims that it is the vaccine that gives the least protection of all those on the market and, in addition, the association claims that it is causing numerous side effects among the people who receive it.
The organisation cites the example in France, where they have had to suspend vaccination among the risk group of police and health workers due to side effects including very strong flu-like symptoms, headaches and high fevers.
Additionally, the group points out that in Spain the AstraZeneca vaccine is not recommended for people over 55 years of age due to insufficient research data with that age group - which leaves a large part of the membership they represent out of the vaccination scheme.
The Generalitat of Catalonia began to administer the vaccine a few weeks ago to the Mossos de Escuadra regional police force and it has reported similar side effects to those experienced by officers in France.
The campaign has now been stalled while vaccines from other manufacturers are being sourced.
Are these side effects normal? Well, YES they are, and are nothing to be concerned about.
Vaccines work by stimulating an immune response to an infectious disease. This is like a practice run for the body on how to fight the disease, and it also means that various bodily responses are triggered, much like they would if you caught the actual disease.
Although vaccines are created through a number of different methods, ultimately the goal is the same, to harmlessly introduce the body to an element of the disease.
Common side effects, such as a fever, or chills, show that the vaccine has been effective in stimulating an adaptive immune response. Most people experience soreness and redness around the site of injection.
These side effects do not mean that you have coronavirus, nor are they infectious. Vaccines only contain part of the organism causing the disease, or in some cases a weakened form, so you cannot be infected with a disease by taking the vaccine.
Side effects of the approved coronavirus vaccines are incomparable to the long term effects of catching coronavirus.
While some people may experience mild effects from the COVID-19 vaccine, they should pass after a few days. Of the people who got the Pfizer vaccine the most common side-effects were headache or fatigue.
By contrast, an initial study from China suggested that around 1 in 5 people over 80 required hospitalisation after contracting coronavirus.
It is difficult to know the exact mortality rate but research from Imperial College London suggests that in high-income countries around 1 in 100 people who catch COVID-19 die.
Data is still being collected in order to determine the severity of the long term risks associated with coronavirus, however, some complications include:
- inflammation of the heart muscles
- respiratory problems and damage to lung tissue
- kidney damage
- skin problems such as a rash or hair loss
- neurological issues such as long term loss of taste, difficulties sleeping, concentration problems
- psychiatric problems including depression, anxiety and mood changes
The long term risks associated with coronavirus are far more dangerous than any side effects associated with the vaccine.
There is also a growing concern that coronavirus can cause long-term neurological problems. The effect the virus has on the neurological system could mean that those who catch it could have a higher chance of having strokes or developing Alzheimer's in later life.
What are the side effects of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine?
According to the UK Government, these are the most common side effects (affecting more than 1 in 10 people) of the Pfizer vaccine:
- pain at the site of injection
- fatigue
- headache
- muscle pain
- chills
- joint pain
- fever
Less common side effects (affecting fewer than 1 in 10 people) include:
- swelling and redness at the site of injection
- nausea
Uncommon side effects (affecting around 1 in 100 people) include:
- enlarged lymph nodes
- feeling unwell
Very rare side effects (affecting around 1 in 1,000 people) include:
- temporary one-sided facial drooping.
What are the side effects of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine?
These are the possible side effects of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine according to the UK Government.
Very common side effects (affecting more than 1 in 10 people) include:
- tenderness, swelling, pain, redness, swelling, warmth or bruising around the site of injection
- feeling unwell
- fatigue
- chills
- headache
- nausea
- joint or muscle ache
Common side effects (affecting fewer than 1 in 10 people) include:
- a lump at the site of injection
- fever
- vomiting
- flu-like symptoms such as a runny nose, cough or sore throat
Uncommon side effects (affecting around 1 in 100 people)
- dizziness
- decreased appetite
- abdominal pain
- enlarged lymph nodes
- excessive sweating
- itchy skin or rash
It is also important to understand that many people may experience illnesses or medical problems around the same time that they are vaccinated and that this does not necessarily mean it was caused by the vaccine. According to the Oxford Vaccine Knowledge Project, “when a vaccine is given to a very large number of people in a population, it is likely just by chance that a few of them will develop some kind of medical problem around the time of vaccination, but this does not prove ‘cause and effect’”.
Conclusion?
By February 14, the UK had administered 8.3m first doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine and 6.9m first doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab. For both vaccines, the “overwhelming majority” of adverse events were felt shortly after the injection and were not associated with “more serious or lasting illness”, the MHRA said. Those side effects included sore arms and generalised symptoms such as “flu-like” illness, headache, chills, fatigue, nausea, fever, dizziness, weakness, aching muscles, and rapid heartbeat, it said.
Severe allergic reactions — so-called anaphylaxis — were reported 168 times for the Pfizer vaccine and 105 times for the AstraZeneca product.
Overall, the data showed a slightly higher rate of adverse reaction for AstraZeneca’s adenovirus vaccine, about 0.45 per cent, than for Pfizer’s mRNA jab, approximately 0.3 per cent. But Dr June Raine, MHRA chief executive, warned against drawing conclusions from the Yellow Card reports about the relative safety of the shots.
“There is a range of factors that can lead to increased reporting of one vaccine over another — for instance, socio-demographic factors of vaccine recipients or whether or not they have been encouraged by information, or a healthcare professional, to make a report,” she said.
The two vaccines have been used in different settings and the age distribution of people receiving the shots has differed too. During the first four weeks of the UK vaccination programme, when the oldest age group was targeted, only the Pfizer jab was available.
In general, younger adults tend to suffer more side-effects from vaccination than the elderly because their immune system responds more strongly to the vaccine.
Brendan Wren, a professor of vaccinology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said he would not expect the AstraZeneca vaccine to produce more side-effects than the Pfizer shot in the same population.
“I can’t think of any scientific reason to suppose that using an adenovirus vector is any more likely to cause an adverse reaction than mRNA in a lipid nanoparticle, but lipid particles can occasionally have allergic complications,” he said.
Professor Beate Kampmann, director of The Vaccine Centre at the LSHTM, said: “There is nothing to be gained by digging for any subtle differences between the two products, as overall they are performing the same, and it’s great to see all of the granularity for this information to be publicly available.”