There has been an increase in ‘no shows’ for vaccine appointments in the UK following scares about the safety of the AstraZeneca jab in Europe
(Picture: AP)A rising number of Britons are cancelling their Covid vaccine appointments or not showing up following “scares” over the safety of the AstraZeneca jab across Europe.
Family doctors said vaccine clinics in the UK are today reporting an increase in “no-shows” - with some suggesting they are up as much as 10 per cent.
They are also reporting more patients are cancelling appointments as a result of their concerns over the AstraZeneca jab.
Germany, France and Spain are among the European countries that suspended the use of the vaccine this week.
This week, 13 European countries suspended use of the vaccine over fears of a link to blood clots.
Today, Finland also suspended the use of the jab while it investigates two possible cases of blood clots - a process which may take a week.
Yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) called on countries to continue using the vaccine as the jab was "not associated" with a higher risk of clots.
Emer Cooke, The European Medicines Agency’s executive director, also told a news conference: "This is a safe and effective vaccine."
"Its benefits in protecting people from Covid-19 with the associated risks of death and hospitalisation outweigh the possible risks."
In the UK, those involved in the vaccine rollout said the impact of the scares had been felt.
While most people were satisfied by assurances that the jab was safe from British regulators and the World Health Organisation, some were now nervous.
GPs said the uncertainty had done “real damage” - with doctors reporting they were spending more time reassuring patients than before.
Dr Dave Triska, a GP partner in Surrey, told Pulse magazine: ‘About 10 per cent of our workload today has been dealing with vaccination queries.
"It’s done real damage already.”
Omar Hamed, from Everest Pharmacy, in Manchester, told the Pharmacist magazine: “There is a lot of fear out there now, people are very wary about the AstraZeneca vaccine. We’ve probably had about 15 cancellations per day over the last week.”
