The Health 202: AstraZeneca's vaccine is still considered safe to take Paige Winfield Cunningham with Alexandra Ellerbeck The available science still indicates the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine is safe for people to take, even as regulators investigate a potential red flag. That’s the nuance vaccine experts — frustrated by the recent barrage of negative headlines — want the American public to understand. “I feel like in general the press has not been doing a good job,” former Food and Drug Administration scientist Luciana Borio told me. The coverage of AstraZeneca’s fumbles, she said, feels “alarmist.” “People do not want to take the vaccine in Europe now, and if that’s because of misinformation, then the pandemic’s going to continue to remain very active globally, which means everybody is vulnerable,” Borio said.