AstraZeneca vaccine should continue to be administered Deutsche Welle

Yes, it is true, two people died due to thrombosis of the sinuses and cerebral veins, others were hospitalized for treatment. And, yes, it always happened after the people in question were vaccinated with the Oxford vaccine, produced by AstraZeneca.

But to conclude that this vaccine would be dangerous is completely premature. Because in the first place it is not clear if the thrombosis had anything to do with the vaccine. Second, we humans take much higher risks of thrombosis on a daily basis than those that threaten us, perhaps, after vaccination.

Correlation or causality?

First the most important aspect: some people suffer from thrombosis with and without vaccine. If it is a coincidence or a causal chain with vaccination – this is usually shown by statistics. The question is: is there an unusual increase in thrombosis cases after vaccinations?

This means four cases per one million vaccinated since the beginning of vaccinations in the first part of February. But this type of thrombosis also occurs without vaccinations among the population, two to five times a year per million people. According to all the data known so far, this is not the case with the AstraZeneca vaccine. Only in UK doctors have so far administered more than 11 million doses of this vaccine. In this context, there were only three cases of thrombosis of the sinuses and cerebral veins. Among the 1.6 million people vaccinated in Germany with this drug, seven such cases have been reported.

The recent cases come from a batch of vaccines that also included about a million doses. With so many vaccines given, it can be assumed that some people simply suffer from thrombosis within a certain time frame after vaccination. So it may be a coincidence.

However, it is correct that the approval authorities are once again investigating the results of all existing studies and figures, as many studies are not yet completed due to the accelerated procedure for approval and authorization of vaccines.

In fact, there are regular deaths after vaccination, especially among the very elderly and those suffering from serious diseases. Someday we die, whether we are vaccinated or not.

Major risk of thrombosis in daily life

What happened is not a cause for panic. However, we consciously take greater risks of suffering from thrombosis than, perhaps, the vaccine. Here are some well-known and scientifically proven examples: in a million women who take birth control pills, about 1,100 suffer from thrombosis.

In addition, various conditions or behaviors increase the risk of thrombosis. It is a proven thing. These include overweight, travel (especially long by plane, car or train), and smoking. All these factors are clearly scientifically proven. However, the possible link to vaccination is not proven.

But we must also take into account the following aspect: cases of thrombosis of the sinuses and cerebral veins are considered rarer and more dangerous than other forms of thrombosis.

The vaccine saves lives

However, we are at the beginning of a third dangerous wave of the coronavirus pandemic. In the case of Germany, doctors predict for the Easter period incidence rates of 300 infections per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days.

All vaccines currently available on the market have been shown to work. This means that it also prevents serious cases of disease in the case of dominant strains.

So the truth is: vaccinations save lives. And the vaccine produced by AstraZeneca mainly saves lives.

Against the background of the spread of the plague worldwide, with more than 120 million infected and over 2.6 million dead, we cannot afford to waste even a single dose of vaccine.

Each dose should reach one arm. When it is finally my turn to be vaccinated, I will gladly accept a dose prepared by AstraZeneca.

Fabian Schmidt – German wave

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