Germany: AstraZeneca vaccine suspended, thousands of appointments canceled
In Berlin, 6,000 vaccination appointments have been canceled.
Two vaccination centers which administered only the AstraZeneca product have temporarily closed.
If the European Medicines Agency removes doubts about AstraZeneca's product on Thursday, injections should resume on Friday or at the latest Monday.
REUTERS - BENOIT TESSIER
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
Forty-eight hours after the decision of the German Minister of Health to suspend the use of AstraZeneca's vaccine against Covid-19, thousands of Germans are waiting.
They had an appointment to receive their first or second injection and learned this Monday, March 15 that they should take their pain patiently.
The German authorities want to know whether the blood problems detected in vaccinated people constituted a risk linked to the AstraZeneca product or not.
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With our correspondent in Berlin
,
Pascal Thibaut
The old Tegel airport in Berlin has been converted into a vaccination center.
As of Monday, around 1,500 people were injected with AstraZeneca again.
But in the middle of the afternoon, everything stopped when the Ministry of Health ordered the suspension of vaccinations with this product.
Patients who had already rolled up their sleeves while waiting for their injection had to come home frustrated.
Michael Flotho should have received his first injection of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Thursday.
He learned from the media that he should be patient: “
First, I was very shocked and sad, because I was so happy when I received the invitation, I really cried with joy.
I was very shocked.
An hour later, I tried to have another appointment with another vaccine, but that was not possible.
I think now I have to wait a long time.
"
6,000 appointments canceled in Berlin
In the German capital, 6,000 meetings have been canceled.
Two vaccination centers which administered only the AstraZeneca product have temporarily closed.
The understanding of the Health Assistant in Berlin for this precautionary measure remains modest: “
We cannot afford the luxury of having unused doses.
It's a lost chance
, ”says Dilek Kalayci.
If the European Medicines Agency removes doubts about AstraZeneca's product on Thursday, injections should resume on Friday or at the latest Monday.
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To read: Covid-19: the WHO wants to be reassuring about the AstraZeneca vaccine
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