Poll points to AstraZeneca concerns as Europe protests grow

A poll unveiled on March 22 showed trust in AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine has plunged in many European countries, as the continent grapples with resurgent infections and Germany considers extending restrictions into April.

Thousands of protesters angry at COVID-19-19 restrictions rallied in cities across Europe over the weekend while several nations reimposed partial lockdowns.

A memo from a group of Germany's regions, seen by AFP, said the country's partial lockdown should be extended into April because of rising infection rates driven by COVID-19-19 variants.

Travel needed to be cut to a minimum, with quarantines and negative tests required for those re-entering Germany, the memo warned.

The prospect of further curbs will infuriate many, including 20,000 protesters who marched against existing restrictions in the Germany city of Kassel on March 20.

Police there used water cannon, batons and pepper spray to disperse the crowds.

Protesters also marched in Amsterdam, Vienna, the Bulgarian capital Sofia, and Switzerland over the weekend.
In the southern French city of Marseille, around 6,500 people took part in a carnival parade, flouting the new restrictions that came into force this weekend.

Offering glimmer of hope, the European Union's internal market commissioner, Thierry Breton, said that Europe could reach herd immunity by July 14, pointing to the expected ramping up of vaccine deliveries.

But a new survey by British pollsters YouGov showed Monday that a majority of people in the biggest European Union member states - including Germany, France, Spain and Italy - now view AstraZeneca's vaccine as unsafe.

This comes after several EU countries suspended the jab's use earlier this month,...