Reuters Poll: European trust in AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine plunges

As per the latest poll from Reuters, published early Monday in Asia, “Confidence in the safety of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine has taken a big hit in Spain, Germany, France and Italy as reports of rare blood clots have been linked to it and many countries briefly stopped using it.”

The details suggest, 55% of Germans and 61% of French responders perceived AstraZeneca as unsafe. The poll also said, “In Italy and Spain, most people previously felt the AstraZeneca vaccine was safe - at 54% and 59% respectively - but those rates have fallen to 36% and 38% respectively, in the latest poll.”

The survey spots the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) statement suggesting a possible link with rare cases of blood clots in the brain, known as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), despite saying, “the vaccine was safe and effective and not linked with a rise in the overall risk of blood clots.”

FX implications

Given the coronavirus (COVID-19) resurgence in the bloc, skepticism over the key vaccine and resistance to using the same can delay the economic recovery. Fears of the same seem to weigh on the market sentiment off-late, portraying a 0.15% intraday drop of S&P 500 Futures by the press time.

Read: Gold Price Analysis: XAU/USD pulls back below $1,750 as market sentiment sours