Over-60s less willing to get AstraZeneca Covid vaccine; Many no-shows at GP jab appointments

More than 40 percent of people over 60 said they are no longer interested in receiving the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, NOS reported based on their research. The survey was carried out after the Dutch government confirmed it would no longer use the AstraZeneca vaccine for people under the age of 60 out of concern that it was tied to eight cases of severe blood clotting, including the death of one woman.

At the same time, only eight said they were unwilling to receive a Pfizer vaccine against Covid-19. Some 58 percent of the Dutch people surveyed said they would also like to be able to decide which shot they are being given, as opposed to the Cabinet determining their eligibility

No-shows for vaccination appointments rising

General practitioners in various places in the country also said that they now have to deal with disappointing turnout for vaccine appointments, Monique Roedoe of the National General Practitioners Association (LHV) said to the Nederlands Dagblad. In Zwolle, a turnout of 50 to 60% for vaccination appointments was reported last weekend.

GPs are now also being commonly approached by people with questions and doubts regarding the AstraZeneca jab. The confusion has arisen around people over 60 being offered the vaccine which is not allowed in the Netherlands for people under 60. The Dutch government said that the high risk older people face for serious symptoms of Covid-19 outweighs the very low risk of experiencing the side effect of blood clots with a low platelet count.

75% of unvaccinated want Covid-19 vaccine

Interestingly, ups and downs regarding the use of AstraZeneca vaccine do not seem to have endangered the general public interest towards Covid-19 vaccination in general. Three-forths of the public who have not yet been vaccinated indicate that they are definitely (55%) or probably (20%) planning to do so, the NOS research found.

The research also showed that the people from the age group between 18 and 24 were most willing to receive the vaccine. This is the same category that, according to previous research, suffers the most mentally from the lockdown.