Residents of Syria’s Hama fear coronavirus vaccine
HAMA, Syria (North Press) – Residents of the city of Hama, central Syria, expressed their fear of receiving the coronavirus vaccine, with many saying they will not risk getting the vaccine over fear of expected side effects.
On April 22, the Ministry of Health announced, through official outlets, that it had received the first batch of vaccines against coronavirus, which is sent according to COVAX program from the WHO that amount to 200,003.
On May 5, the Syrian Ministry of Health said it launched an online platform to register for coronavirus vaccine.
The Ministry dedicated 71 hospitals, 96 infirmaries, and 416 mobile teams to deliver vaccine sto applicants in government-controlled areas.
Hama resident Murhaf al-Hamwi (a pseudonym) believes that the side effects will take years to appear, “so I will not get any kind of these vaccines.”
Al-Hamwi’s fears have increased “as no one takes care of those who got vaccinated or follows up on their health condition; the doctor advises the one who experiences side effects to take any painkiller.”
Al-Hamwi accused the government of “not caring” about the health of the people, because “it allowed gatherings and celebrations during the presidential elections and failed to find a solution to the queues at bakeries and in parking.”
The AstraZeneca vaccine should not be given to those under the age of 50, because it sometimes causes life-threatening blood clots, member of the government coronavirus advisory team said based on the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) had told North Press earlier.
“The Ministry of Health decided to give the Russian and Chinese vaccines to doctors and those under the age of 50, and give AstraZeneca vaccine to those over 50, especially patients with chronic diseases to avoid any surprises,” he added at the time.
Not vanishing fears
People who got the vaccine in Syria some time ago did not suffer frightening side effects, but rather got high fever and muscle fatigue. The symptoms soon disappeared after a couple of days, according to a member of the advisory team.
The statements of the member of the advisory team did not convince Du’a al-Salim (a pseudonym), a pharmacist in Hama, and did not assuage her fears of getting the vaccine.
She connected the death of her friend with receiving the Chinese vaccine in the public hospital a week ago; she experienced side effects such as high temperature, headache, pain in the hands, and general weakness, though no analysis confirmed the relationship between the side effects and the vaccine.
Al-Salim’s friend went to see the dentist for a checkup several days after getting vaccinated. “The doctor needed to anesthetize her, so he did, and when she arrived at home she died,” she explained.
Al-Salim believes that there is a connection between the vaccine and the anesthetic, “but the doctors have not warned us of that; though this incident made me refuse to get the vaccine.”
However, Director of Primary Health Care Razan Tarabishi, who is also in charge of the national program for vaccination against coronavirus, added in statements to the pro-government Tishreen newspaper in May, “any possible side effects of the vaccines are much less dangerous than catching coronavirus.”
Taking the vaccine contributes to health protection and reduces the severity of the disease, and “about 100 people are vaccinated daily,” she added.
A week after receiving the vaccine in the public hospital in Hama, 49-year-old Hama resident Rafif al-Hamid (a pseudonym) said that her blood sugar increased to 250 and she began to suffer from intestinal colic, diarrhea, and nerve inflammation in the feet, according to what she told North Press.
“I even became unable to walk due to tingling and heat in my feet,” she added.
Risk
Al-Hamid went to her doctor, who asked her to take two diabetes pills instead of one until her sugar levels became stable again. He also told her that he couldn’t supply her with medication, as the vaccine is new and doctors are still unsure of its interactions with other medications.
After al-Hamid had these symptoms, her family was afraid of the vaccine, although they have already registered for it.
The number of those registered for the coronavirus vaccination on the online platform in different governorates reached 70,000, 27,000 of which are in Damascus, according to Tarabishi.
Zayn al-Ghafeer (a pseudonym), a doctor in Hama, said that the majority of the medical staff has strong reservations about taking the vaccine. “Some demand the Russian vaccine and reject the Chinese one, thinking that the Russian one is better.”
Al-Ghafeer, who has not taken the vaccine yet, indicated that there are doctors who “took risks” and got the vaccine and had side effects, while others did not show any symptoms.
On February 25, the vaccination process for health staff was limited to workers in quarantine departments.
In May, an official in the Ministry of Health told North Press that the vaccination of health workers against coronavirus had begun for those who wanted to, with the Russian Sputnik vaccine.
On Monday, the vaccination campaign recorded 4 new coronavirus infections, according to the media office of the Ministry of Health of the Syrian government.
Al-Ghafeer attributed the residents’ fear to ” bad treatment and indifference in public hospitals, which left a negative impact on the residents, so they no longer trust anything provided by the country.”