The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BEHIND 1 COMPANY’S VACCINE STRUGGLES
Bungled data reporting, blood clot scare might undermine vaccine confidence.
LONDON — Astrazeneca’s repeated missteps in reporting vaccine data coupled with a blood clot scare could do lasting damage to the credibility of a shot that is the linchpin in the global strategy to stop the coronavirus pandemic, potentially even undermining vaccine confidence more broadly, experts say.
What’s happening
The latest stumble for the vaccine came Tuesday, when American officials issued an unusual statement expressing concern that Astrazeneca had included “outdated information” when it reported encouraging results from a U.S. trial a day earlier. That may have provided “an incomplete view of the efficacy data,” according to the statement.
Astrazeneca responded that the results, which showed its shot was about 79% effective, included information through Feb. 17 but appeared to be consistent with more up-todate data. It promised an update within 48 hours.
“I doubt it was (U.S. officials’) intention to deliberately undermine trust in the Astrazeneca vaccine,” said Dr. Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia. “But this will likely cause more vaccine hesitancy.”
Why it matters
Even if the damage is limited to Astrazeneca itself, it would have far-reaching effects since the shot is cheaper and easier to store than many of its rivals’ and thus is expected to be widely used in the developing world. International health agencies have repeatedly said the vaccine is safe and effective, but it’s not the first time the company has run into problems with public trust.
Partial results from its first major trial — which Britain used to authorize the vaccine — were clouded by a manufacturing mistake that researchers didn’t immediately acknowledge. Insufficient data about how well the vaccine protected older people led some countries to initially restrict its use to younger populations before reversing course. U.S. officials suspended an Astrazeneca study for an unusual six weeks while they sought details about problems reported in Britain before deciding the vaccine wasn’t to blame.
About Europe’s response
Last week, more than a dozen countries temporarily halted their use of the Astrazeneca shot after reports of rare blood clots in some people who received it. The European Medicines Agency concluded the shot did not increase the overall incidence of clots, but the unwanted attention appears to have left a mark.
In Norway, a top official warned Monday it might not be able to resume use of the vaccine because so many people were rejecting it.
“People clearly say that they do not want the Astrazeneca vaccine,” Marte Kvittum Tangen, who heads a Norwegian doctors’ association, told broadcaster NRK.
Last week in Bucharest, Romania, vaccination coordinator Valeriu Gheorghita said 33,000 Astrazeneca immunization appointments had been canceled in 24 hours and about a third of the 10,000 people scheduled to receive the vaccine did not show up. In Belgrade, Serbia, a sprawling exhibition center set up for people to get the Astrazeneca vaccine was mostly deserted on Monday.
“This is unfortunately more about perception than it is the science,” said Dr. Bharat Pankhania, an infectious diseases specialist at Britain’s University of Exeter.
“We have now seen, on several parameters, that the Astrazeneca vaccine provides protection and is safe,” he said. “But the narrative for the public has not been as clear.”