Only 25% of the doses of AstraZeneca vaccines received in France were used, the Ministry of Health said on Tuesday, acknowledging that there was a “problem” of under-consumption of this vaccine against Covid in hospitals.
"On AstraZeneca, there is a particular situation: we are on Sunday evening (
February 28
) at 24-25% of consumption of stocks", against "almost 70%" on average for all the vaccines available, a -We explained to the ministry during a weekly update on vaccines.
Of the first 600,000 doses of this vaccine, delivered at the beginning of February to healthcare establishments for caregivers under 65 and at-risk people aged 50 to 64, “we have indeed a subject of consumption, (...) since we realize that we have about 75% of stocks that have not been injected, ”adds the same source.
More pronounced side effects
On the other hand, its distribution in town to general practitioners from last Thursday, led to a "very strong flow dynamic" the first days, according to the ministry.
This consumption should "increase" after the announcement Monday evening by the Minister of Health of the extension of the use of this vaccine to people aged 65 to 75 years with comorbidities.
This extension is based on an opinion from the High Authority for Health (HAS), published Tuesday, which takes into account new studies carried out in the United Kingdom, showing that the AstraZeneca vaccine is effective in reducing hospitalizations in the elderly.
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"Now that we have good news on AstraZeneca, it is imperative that this vaccine finds its place in the vaccine strategy," said the Ministry of Health.
Many caregivers have shunned this vaccine, especially because of more pronounced side effects, most often strong flu-like symptoms, in younger people.
Questions have also emerged about the effectiveness of this vaccine in countering the South African variant of the coronavirus.
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At the same press point, the Ministry of the Economy also specified that Janssen's vaccine would be delivered from April, while he feared last week that his arrival would be postponed to May.
The vaccine candidate of the subsidiary of the American Johnson & Johnson, which has just been authorized in the United States and should be in mid-March in the European Union, has the advantage of requiring only one dose and can be stored at refrigerator temperatures.
