AstraZeneca: Much better than its reputation
Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.
More posts by Christiane Fux All content is checked by medical journalists.Some people are currently skeptical about the AstraZeneca vaccine. In particular, the lower effectiveness discourages some from vaccination. They look jealously at those who receive the "good stuff" is called: an mRNA vaccine from BioNTech / Pfizer or Moderna. That is understandable. But they are wrong. In fact, when it comes to key issues, the AstraZeneca vaccine protects almost as well as the mRNA competition.
Why AstraZeneca also provides excellent protection
After all, the main goal of vaccinations is to prevent severe or even fatal courses of COVID-19. The decisive factor is: none of those vaccinated with AstraZeneca had a severe course - and none died of Covid-19. The AstraZeneca vaccine thus offered excellent protection against the greatest horrors that vaccination is primarily intended to protect against.
In the studies, AstraZeneca vaccinees developed symptoms more often than those who had received the Moderna or BioNTech / Pfizer vaccine. But this also included all those who just got a little cough or other mild symptoms.
70 percent effectiveness does not mean that 30 percent will get sick
The stated effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine is - depending on the interpretation of the study data - between 60 and 70 percent. But that does not mean that 40 to 30 percent of those who are vaccinated get sick. Only a few hundred people noticed complaints during the studies with many thousands of participants at the time of approval - the majority of them were unvaccinated.
What the efficacy claims actually mean: Of 100 study participants who developed COVID-19 symptoms, 60 to 70 were unvaccinated and 30 to 40 were vaccinated.
The calculated effectiveness of the mRNA vaccines was better, but that only means that after vaccination with AstraZeneca you can still get infected with the coronavirus a little more often than after an mRNA vaccination. But this infection is not difficult.
Wait for vaccines against the mutants?
Also, the fact that the AstraZeneca vaccine might be less effective against some mutants of the virus is not a good argument to wait for a readjusted vaccine.
It does not mean that the vaccination was meaningless in this regard: On the one hand, every immunization against mutations will have a certain effect and, in particular, will be able to cushion severe courses with a high degree of probability. On the other hand, the vaccination reliably protects you here and now.
AstraZeneca is currently developing a booster against the South African variant, but firstly, in view of the sparse data situation, it is not even clear how much the current vaccine has lost its protective effect against the virus variant. Secondly, this variant is not even gaining ground in this country, and thirdly, new mutations will keep popping up anyway.
"Side effects" prove the effectiveness
There was further uncertainty due to reports of more frequent, severe side effects after vaccination. However, these are mostly not undesirable or even disease-causing side effects in the true sense, but vaccination reactions.
Symptoms such as pain at the injection site or flu-like symptoms such as aching limbs, fever and fatigue after the vaccination are proof that the immune system reacts as hoped: It mobilizes against the coronavirus. At first this is uncomfortable, but not worrying.
This could only be risky for extremely frail people. However, since this is not exactly known yet, and the effectiveness of the vaccination cannot yet be clearly calculated in old age, the AstraZeneca vaccine is only vaccinated in this country up to the age of 65.
Waiting to vaccinate is a risky option
Refusing a vaccination against Corona just because the AstraZeneca vaccine is intended is a risky decision in any case. It will take many months before there is enough vaccine to choose from.
And until then, everyone risks becoming infected - every day. With the well-known risks: hospitalization, intensive care and possibly weeks of ventilation - and maybe death. Another potential risk is post-Covid syndrome with potentially lifelong impairments. How many infected people develop one is not yet known.
Why you can't choose the vaccine (yet).
Unfortunately, you cannot choose the vaccine for the time being, because there is not enough of it for everyone - and certainly not for every single one of the different vaccines. And then the vaccine currently available has to be sent to the man or woman where it is most effective. Since the AstraZeneca vaccine is not certain how well it will work in older people, and it is precisely those who are most at risk, it is vaccinated on younger people.
In the end, everyone benefits from this the most - because it is the fastest way to end the pandemic. The German Ethics Commission also confirms that this principle makes sense.
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