Thrombosis experts do not understand the decision to stop temporarily by vaccinating Dutch people under the age of 60 with the AstraZeneca vaccine. Last Friday, the temporary injection stop was instituted due to blood clotting problems in some vaccinees. The stop applies in any case up to and including next Wednesday.
The experts point out that stopping the injection leads to unrest. Stopping, they believe, also poses a greater risk to public health than puncturing – despite the well-known blood clotting problems. “All thrombosis colleagues are baffled”, says internist and thrombosis expert Saskia Middeldorp of the Radboudumc in Nijmegen.
“It seems like the people who decide this don’t realize the implications this stop has for our vaccination program,” Middeldorp said, referring to the Ministry of Health. “A stop leads to a mountain of people who have to be canceled for the injection. This policy ensures that we vaccinate much slower, but in the meantime we do have full ICs and hospital wards.”
Her colleague Hugo ten Cate, professor of clinical thrombosis at Maastricht UMC, agrees. He points out 1Limburg moreover, on the – according to him much greater – consequences for public health as a result of the current impasse. “You can stop vaccinating because of a very small risk, but then the danger to public health is much greater. All those unvaccinated people are at a higher risk of covid.”
Don’t dare anymore
According to Middeldorp, there are many people who wanted to vaccinate, but no longer dare. Ten Cate also sees this. “It is pretending that something dangerous has been detected that needs to be dealt with immediately,” he says. “It makes people anxious, they wonder about everything.”
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