The professor of epidemiology of EKPA Gikas Majorkinis is trying to calm the concerns that have been caused on the sidelines of the withdrawal of Astra Zeneca’s vaccine for COVID-19 through a post on Facebook.

As he characteristically explains, the risk of blood clots was an extremely rare side effect comparable to the risk of death from choking while eating or drinking water, over the course of a year.

“We are 10 times more likely to die in a car accident within a year“, he characteristically commented, adding that even this risk only related to the first dose of the vaccine and the first 30 days or so after the first dose. After 30 days the risk is zero.

“Well those who did have absolutely no reason to fear this side effect today“, summed up.

The post in detail

Some forgotten facts about Astra Zeneca’s vaccine for COVID-19:

1) The vaccine was designed by the University of Oxford and distributed by Astra Zeneca
2) It was the only NON-PROFIT vaccine, as the University of Oxford had signed a concession contract with Astra Zeneca, with the condition that it be distributed without profit throughout the pandemic. Simply put, the company was selling it at production-distribution cost.
3) It was the only one of the first 3 that didn’t need a deep freeze and that’s why it managed to go where no other did. It was thus given to hard-to-reach areas of the developing world.
Regarding the risk of thrombosis, it was an extremely rare side effect (~1-2/100,000):
1) Approximately equal to the risk of dying (choking) from the food we eat in one year (data from USA)
2) Approximately equal to the risk of drowning and dying from water in one year (data from USA)
3) We are 10 times more likely to die in a car accident within a year
4) It concerned only the first dose of the vaccine and the first 30 days or so after the first dose. After 30 days the risk is zero, so those who have done it have absolutely no reason to fear this side effect today.