Spain became the latest European nation to restart use of the Astrazeneca vaccine.
Nation eager to boost rollout as cases surge
MADRID — Desperate to finally put the coronavirus pandemic behind them, thousands of Spaniards lined up to get shots of Astrazeneca on Wednesday as the European country became the latest to restart use of the vaccine whose credibility has suffered a series of setbacks recently.
Like neighboring countries that had halted use of the vaccine while examining possible adverse effects, Spain’s health officials are now trying to restore confidence in the shot, one of three currently available in the European Union. That is particularly critical at a time when many countries on the continent are struggling to ramp up slow vaccinations while they see infections spike again.
Spain’s pivot back to Astrazeneca came just a day after another blow to its reputation, when American officials said that the British-swedish drug company may have included “outdated information” in touting the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine in a U.S. trial.
It was not the first stumble for the shot, which is cheaper and easier to store than many of its rivals and was therefore expected to be used widely around the world, especially in poorer countries. The company had previously faced questions about its data reporting, and most recently more than a dozen European countries suspended use of the shot over reports of rare blood clots in some recipients. The European Medicines Agency said last week that the vaccine doesn’t increase the overall risk of clotting.
Still, experts fear the repeated negative attention on the vaccine could undermine confidence in it and even the immunization program overall, just when the coronavirus is again surging on the continent.
As has happened in other countries, some Italian regions have reported no-shows and cancellations of vaccine appointments, yet the phenomenon appears to be uneven. Norway has expressed concern over high levels of rejection of the shot. In other developments:
■ Amid a spike in new COVID-19 cases, Poland’s health and Catholic Church authorities have appealed to all parish priests to strictly observe an attendance limit and distancing at church services, especially during the Easter holiday.
■ France’s culture minister has been hospitalized for COVID-19, the latest senior official to be infected as the nation faces a third surge of infections. Roselyne Bachelot announced last weekend that she had tested positive and her hospitalization was made public Wednesday.
■ Belgium is reintroducing strict lockdown measures in response to a surge of new coronavirus infections. The government announced schools would be closed on Monday and residents would have limited access to non-essential businesses starting Wednesday night.