Teachers and staff from across the Valencian Community began to receive the Astrazeneca vaccine against the coronavirus on Monday in the first mass vaccination trial in the Valencian Community.
The day began well in La Fe field hospital and at a number of other authorised points but it ended in confusion, both for those who had received the vaccine and for those also who are yet to be inoculated in the midst of some uncertainty.
Vaccinations began at 3pm despite the decisions of some countries such as France, Germany and Italy, to stop the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine due to several cases of thrombosis in people to whom it had been administered.
However, it was not until 5pm that the Ministry of Health called an urgent meeting of the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System, to decide what to do about the vaccine.
As the meeting got underway, some of the media broke the news that the use of AstraZeneca vaccines was suspended. However, at least in La Fe field hospital, the notice was not received and it via social networks that staff, and those waiting for the vaccine, began to hear of the suspension.
But it was only at 6.12 pm that the head of Preventive Medicine of La Fe appeared in the field hospital shouting “no, no, no, the vaccination is suspended. No more vaccines “.
It was a situation that was observed with amazement by the teachers and staff who were sitting in the chairs and who had either just been vaccinated or were about to receive the dose.
Meanwhile, one of the vaccinated teachers downplayed the paralysis. “I feel good, I don’t feel strange and I feel lucky,” she pointed out. “I am a teacher, many of my students have had it for a long time and it is beneficial for everyone,” she said.
There were many others who echoed those sentiments.
Sandra, director of a vocational training centre, said that she was not afraid to get the AstraZeneca vaccine. “What I want is for this to end,” she pointed out, although she acknowledged that she had preferred not to read the news of the suspension of the vaccine in other countries. ” details of the government meeting reached me on whatsapp, but I preferred not to read it.” In fact, she acknowledged being very excited when they gave her the vaccine. “I hope this is the end,” she said.
After the disruption, the regional secretary of Education, Miquel Soler, visited a number of different vaccination point. “The process was going very well but from the information I have received about the meeting it has been decided to postpone it 15 days. When we have more complete information, we will let you know how things are,” he said.
Hours later, the Minister of Health, Ana Barceló, said in a statement that the suspension “is temporary and for the least time until it can be resumed.” She transmitted a message of “calm” to the people who have already received the dose because, she affirmed, the stoppage “is only for reasons of prudence.”
The suspension will continue until the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) issues a detailed assessment of all cases of venous sinus thrombosis that were reported, one of them in Spain.
