Europeans more wary of jab, poll finds

BRUSSELS－Fewer Europeans than before trust the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine after reports of blood clots and other side effects among those receiving the jab in several countries, an opinion poll showed on Monday.

An increased number of French, German and Italian adults said they considered the vaccine unsafe, the poll by YouGov found, although faith in vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna was unaffected. Scientific studies have found the AstraZeneca vaccine to be safe and effective.

"Not only have we seen considerable rises in those who consider it unsafe in the last two weeks in Europe, the AstraZeneca vaccine continues to be seen as substantially less safe than its Pfizer and Moderna counterparts," lead data journalist at YouGov Matt Smith said in a statement.

Sixty-one percent of French adults surveyed said the vaccine was unsafe, a rise of 18 percentage points compared with a poll in February, YouGov said.

Just over half of Germans surveyed said they thought the vaccine was unsafe, a rise of 15 percentage points compared with in February, while 43 percent of Italians had serious doubts.

The European Medicines Agency said last week the benefits outweigh the risks and continues to recommend its use.

At the same time, the bloc is rebuffing British government calls for it to ship AstraZeneca vaccines produced in a factory in the Netherlands, an EU official said on Sunday.

Former EU member Britain has so far administered many more vaccines than EU countries have in proportion to the population.

"The Brits are insisting that the Halix plant in the Netherlands must deliver the drug substance produced there to them. That doesn't work," the official said.

The plant, in Leiden, is run by subcontractor Halix, which is listed as a supplier of vaccines in both the contracts that AstraZeneca has signed with Britain and with the European Union.

Restrictions tightened

Away from the contractual disputes in Europe, countries in other parts of the world have been tightening movement restrictions in response to increases in coronavirus infections.

In the worst-hit country, authorities in the United States have imposed a state of emergency and a curfew in Miami Beach, Florida, to deal with crowds partying during spring break.

With about 13 percent of US residents vaccinated, many seem convinced that the pandemic is now under control.

In Asia, churches in the Philippine capital Manila are being closed and indoor dining in restaurants banned under new rules. Leisure travel outside the city is being curbed.

In northern India, the government warned that an annual Kumbh Mela festival gathering could turn into a super-spreader event. The authorities are calling for increased testing of the large crowds of－mostly maskless－pilgrims.

The country reported 212 new deaths on Monday, the most since early January, while infections jumped by 46,951, the highest since early November.

Agencies via Xinhua