Page 25 - Vaccines

The existence and the use of vaccines

The latter need to be assessed in the light of revelation.2⁰
This includes serious attention also to the principles (and
norms) of the Church's social teaching, particularly to
ensure justice in the way people are treated. Recent disputes
over the secrecy of contracts between some pharmaceutical
firms and governments, the number of phials of vaccines
contained in consignments, the failure to produce or at least
to deliver and to distribute vaccines as agreed, all confirm
that this is an important dimension of the moral question.
In an attempt to encourage people to be vaccinated, the
Pope stated, in his televised interview of 28th December,
2020, that “the vaccine is ethical”, said he would be vacci-
nated the following week and expressed surprise that so
many people were worried about the vaccine.
In fact, there are several vaccines and vaccines, as
such, are neither ethical nor unethical, but only effective
and safe or otherwise. People’s fears about being vacci-
nated against the coronavirus are not all irrational; in
autumn 2020, the Astra-Zeneca trials were halted because
of severe adverse reactions which had occurred in some
patients, apparently with specific allergies, insufficient
data so far from trials had raised questions about its
efficacy for those under 18 and over 65 (or 55), while
South Africa had suspended its use there in February,
2021, since its efficacy against the South African mutation
of the virus seemed very low. The number of serious
adverse reactions to the Astra-Zeneca vaccine, particu-
larly the question of its possibly causing thrombosis in
some people, has led to it being suspended in a number
of countries, at least for certain age groups. The body of
the European Union responsible for evaluating and
recommending the use of vaccines (EMA) examined this
specific question; in April, 2021, it issued a statement

2⁰ Cf. Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et spes, nn. 33, 43.

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