This is not only because developed countries, such as those in Western Europe, had purchased a large number of AstraZeneca doses to get out of the pandemic, but also because much of the developing world is base on this vaccine do the same.
The double whammy is that an image appears that shows that the AstraZeneca vaccine – which seems to have caused a very rare, sometimes fatal, severe coagulation condition with low blood platelet counts – can affect younger adults than the elderly. Developing countries generally have significantly younger populations than their richer counterparts.
A link between the rare blood clots and the J&J vaccine has not been officially confirmed, but US officials want to discontinue it and use alternative photos as they realize if there really is a link and if so, how much. widespread could be. Europe is waiting to see what an investigation uncovers.
Many developing countries have to wait longer than richer countries to receive these vaccines. In the earlier stages of their development, mRNA vaccines had to be kept at such low temperatures, most developing countries could not use them without purchasing new and expensive equipment to store them. These requirements are improving – the Pfizer vaccine can now be stored at normal temperatures in the freezer when transported – but the storage challenge months ago meant that most developing countries focused on photos like AstraZeneca and J&J when have concluded purchase agreements with pharmaceutical companies.
Dr Peter Drobac, director of the Skoll Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford Saïd Business School, said that despite the rarity of blood clots in both AstraZeneca vaccines and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, any side effects could aggravate the vaccine’s hesitation. and even misinformation.
“It can fuel conspiracy theories around the world about a two-tier society. If rich countries say they will have the ‘gold standard’ with only the most expensive vaccines and then say that AstraZeneca is not good enough for us in the global north “But it’s good enough for the global south, it could reduce the absorption of the vaccine and hinder the world’s vaccination efforts,” he told CNN.
“For Covid-19 vaccines, the benefits outweigh the potential side effects,” Benjamin Djoudalbaye, head of policy, health diplomacy and communications at Africa CDC, told CNN on Monday.
But the picture is more nuanced than that. The United Kingdom has data suggesting that, although the benefits outweigh the risks as a whole, they do not necessarily do so for every age group, under any circumstances.
Last week, its drug regulator recommended that people under the age of 30 be given alternative vaccines, arguing that people in that age group are more likely to suffer serious injuries from the AstraZeneca vaccine than they could avoid. very serious illness. This is only in a situation where the exposure to the virus is low. Any return to “normal” will increase the exposure. Other European countries and Australia have limited the use of the vaccine to older age groups.
To date, COVAX has delivered 17.4 million Covid-19 vaccines to 36 African countries, including more than 17 million AstraZeneca photos manufactured by India’s Serum Institute and about 200,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine, according to figures released Wednesday by CNN. by WHO officials.
The magnitude of the risk of these rare blood clotting events after vaccination with AstraZeneca and potentially J&J vaccines is still unclear, but if it is confirmed that younger people are more likely to experience them, it means that the developing world and younger populations they want to be more vulnerable to clots, even if they are less vulnerable to Covid-19 at first.
Meanwhile, countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom continue their vaccination programs and share very few doses with other countries in need.
The US has shared a small number of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has not yet been approved there, with neighboring Mexico and Canada, but says it will not share more until its own supplies are secure. A report from Duke University on Thursday estimates that the United States could have 300 million overdoses by the end of July.
A Nigerian doctor and public health consultant, Kingsley Douglas, said that the “protectionist” tendencies of the developed world act against a positive overall result.
“Western countries look for their citizens first before they look elsewhere. I don’t mind them being protectionist in their approach,” Douglas told CNN. “However, it is in everyone’s interest that the critical mass of the world’s population be vaccinated and protected against Covid. Vaccines should be distributed evenly and fairly.”
A top Chinese health official acknowledged over the weekend that China’s vaccines do not have very high efficacy rates and that Beijing is considering purchasing new types of vaccines based on mRNA technology – such as Pfizer and Moderna photos – an analysis on who did so was forced to give up after his comments were widely distributed on social media and international news sites.
Samuel Matsikure, a resident of the Zimbabwean capital Harare, said he had heard many young people express skepticism about vaccines made in China.
“Many citizens are afraid to get vaccinated,” he told CNN. “They do not trust the Chinese vaccine – partly because they believe its effectiveness is low – and it is not as popular as other vaccines. So you find that young, healthy people don’t get vaccinated as much as older people, “Matsikure said.
Matsikure hopes Zimbabwe will buy more vaccines so that some of the strict coronavirus restrictions can be relaxed.
“Many Zimbabweans have suffered economically from the Covid blockade. Most Zimbabweans are in the informal sector … based on selling their products on the streets or in designated outlets. But all of this was closed during the blockades. Many are currently unemployed … crying for food aid and unable to pay their rents, “Matsikure told CNN.
Brazil, for example, has already received more than 1 million doses of AstraZeneca through COVAX and, as cases increase, does not appear to be heading for limited use.
“Blood clots are worrisome,” said Sergio Litewka of the University of Miami Ethics Programs, which focuses its research on Latin America. But I don’t think the number of blood clots justifies stopping the use of the vaccine.
He said Latin American countries simply do not have enough other options to quit fires, such as AstraZeneca and J&J, and he believes that as a result, the hesitation of the vaccine in the region could increase.
“Denmark said no to AstraZeneca and there are other countries studying what they will do and it is the same with Johnson & Johnson,” he said. “But in Latin America, people have very few options. Some say I’d rather take risks, but some are more hesitant.”
CNN’s Christopher Johnson contributed to this report.