Vaccine against coronavirus is moving along nicely… Jean Castex has recently announced that a million French have been given the first dose - and even the second dose, so has Mauricette, the first French to have been vaccinated.
But as several clinical trials are still on for several months, many French people wonder about these vaccines available on the market… Some talk about 9 deaths in the 135 side effects, which is true. This data has been shared by the Agence nationale de sureté du médicament (or French Agency for the Safety of Health Products) - entrusted with reporting side effects and banning market authorization if the medicine (or vaccine) is dangerous.
In its report, the ANSM announces that 135 people have suffered from side effets in a group of 400,000 people vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine at the moment the study was conducted (on January 14, 2021). Effets were minor in most cases.
In the release, the agency says that "most effects are expected or mild side effects, [...] such as fevere, headaches and nausea". All in all, 31 severe side effects cases have been assessed, including 4 cases of tachycardia and 9 deaths. But it intends to be reassuring on deaths: "They were elderly people living in nursing homes or old age houses showing chronical diseases and heavy treatments. Given elements we have so far, nothing enables us to conclude these deaths are related to vaccine".
The agency adds that "these deaths and data are subject to thorough followup as part of the vaccine surveillance". It says that no side effect with the Moderna vaccine has been reported to the ANSM so far.
This report is said to be delivered weekly and made available to all French on the ANSM website.
