Small numbers, exaggerated decision. Guido Rasi, former director of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), microbiologist at the University of Rome Tor Vergata and scientific director of Consulcesi, remains convinced of the importance of getting vaccinated at full speed. “Johnson & Johnson’s suspected vaccine-related thrombosis cases are less than one in a million. The serious or fatal ones are one in three million. On the other side of the scale are the more than three thousand deaths from Covid last week. Almost all of them would be with us if they had had time to receive that injection. ‘
However, the company has suspended distribution in Europe.
«Responsible choice. If the United States, the country where the vaccine was actually developed, suspends Johnson & Johnson, it is clear that the company prefers to stop distribution in Europe as well. But I imagine it will be a short stop ».
The numbers are small, but the thrombosis cases have been real and characterized with great precision. Isn’t it normal that there is fear?
“It is a fear that must be overcome because the risk of Covid is much higher. A thousand behaviors that we adopt every day are more dangerous than the vaccine, from getting into the car to taking the birth control pill ».
For cases of thrombosis, albeit very rare, there are no known risk factors. Doesn’t this worry you?
“Young women are most affected, but within this category we don’t actually know why thrombosis occurs. We have seen that the risk does not increase with the contraceptive pill, nor with the genetic risk factors that we are able to identify, nor with all the other causes that can normally favor a thrombosis ».
Unlike AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson had also identified a case in the trials. Why hasn’t the problem been investigated?
“Precisely because it is such a rare and particular form of thrombosis, nothing at that stage could suggest a link with the vaccine.”
But the people who risk the most with the vaccine – albeit in minimal percentages – are those who risk less with Covid.
“This is why it was decided to reserve AstraZeneca for over 60s”.
But at the beginning we decided to reserve the most effective vaccines for the elderly: Pfizer and Moderna’s RNA vaccines.
‘In the meantime we have had new data on the use of AstraZeneca among seniors in the UK. The effectiveness proved to be very high, close to 100% in avoiding deaths and serious cases ».
Skeptics came back with one of their flagship phrases: they use us as guinea pigs.
“The trials of the four vaccines approved in Europe followed all safety standards. It is normal for very rare adverse effects to emerge when millions of people are vaccinated. And it seems to me that these cases are evaluated with all the attention they deserve ».
Some say we are facing a trade war.
“We wish we were already facing a trade war. The problem is that unfortunately anyone who is able to produce a vaccine has, and will have for a long time, space at will. We have 7 billion people to immunize, probably even with repeated calls ».
However, we have more effective RNA vaccines and, apparently, with fewer side effects than those approved with the viral vector. Why use the latter?
“Because we don’t have enough vaccines for everyone, because we have full hospitals, because only a small part of our population is already immunized and because the epidemic is still very active. Unfortunately we are not in a position to stop ».
After the emergency, could RNA vaccines remain the only ones?
“It’s a likely scenario. RNA is proving to be the most effective and also the fastest platform in developing updated vaccines against variants ».
They are also more expensive.
“At the moment, a lot of profits are being reinvested to expand production capacity. In fact, more doses are arriving from Pfizer and Moderna than in the first months ».
Matteo Villa, an ISPI researcher, estimates that vaccines in Italy have already saved 5,000 lives. Does it come back to you?
“It’s a very credible estimate.”
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