BERLIN (AP) – Officials in several European countries on Friday rejected other people’s decisions to discontinue the use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine following sporadic reports of blood clots, despite a lack of evidence that the shooting was responsible.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn said that although the country took “very, very seriously” reports of possible harmful effects of vaccines, both the European Medicines Agency and the German vaccine surveillance body said they had no evidence. of an increase in dangerous blood clots in connection with the shootings.
“I regret that, based on knowledge, since Friday morning, some countries in the European Union have suspended vaccinations with AstraZeneca,” Spahn told reporters in Berlin.
Denmark was the first to stop temporarily use of AstraZeneca vaccine on Thursday after reports of blood clots in some people. The Nordic nation’s health authority said the decision was “based on a precautionary principle” and that a person who developed a blood clot after vaccination had died.
Norway, Iceland and Bulgaria followed suit and suspended the use of the Anglo-Swedish company’s vaccine, which was developed in conjunction with Oxford University.
“Until all doubts are dispelled and experts do not guarantee that they pose no risk to humans, we will stop immunization using that vaccine,” Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said in a cabinet meeting. He said the suspension would last until the European Medicines Agency issued a written statement that it was safe.
The regulator said it was reviewing the reports – but vaccinations should continue in the meantime.
Thailand and Congo have also delayed the use of the vaccine pending an investigation, while Italy and Romania have stopped using photos from a particular batch. Austria has also stopped using doses from one batch but different.
The decision followed the death from the blood clots of a 49-year-old girl, 10 days after she was vaccinated, and the hospitalization of a 35-year-old woman. The experts concluded that no complications were related to the vaccine, and the Austrian chancellor said on Friday that he himself would be willing to receive the shot “to show that I trust this vaccine.”
“Experts here have a clear opinion and this vaccine is used in many countries around the world and is already used by tens of millions,” said Sebastian Kurz.
In fact, almost every country that has issued a suspension has acknowledged that it has no evidence that the vaccine caused blood clots. Health experts have pointed out that people most likely to receive COVID-19 vaccinations are also more likely to have other health problems, which could put them at greater risk of developing blood clots. blood.
Meanwhile, France, Poland and Nigeria have said they will continue to use the AstraZeneca fire even while national regulators investigate.
“At this stage, the benefit of vaccination is considered to outweigh the risk,” said French Health Minister Olivier Veran.
The suspensions were the latest problems for AstraZeneca, which had a public spit with the European Union earlier this year due to supply delays and also faced its effectiveness in older adults. While EU regulators have approved it for use in all adults, some countries have set age restrictions – although many now lift them.. The problem also arises as many EU countries have struggled to climb fast vaccinations.
Despite the rugged launch, the vaccine is still expected to be essential to the global inoculation program because it is cheaper and easier to store than many others – and because the global initiative to get vaccines in poorer countries known as COVAX is largely based on the vaccine.
Italy’s preventive ban came after it said they were “serious adverse events”. It has not been worked out, but Italian media reported that at least two suspected deaths of military and law enforcement officers were being investigated.
The union representing members of the Italian Air Force confirmed that one of its members had died and asked for further clarification from the government.
Italy’s ban affects a lot of 500,000 doses of AstraZeneca that have been administered across the country.
The European Medicines Agency, which authorized the use of fire in 27 EU nations, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway in January, said that “the benefits of the vaccine continue to outweigh its risks and the vaccine can continue to be administered” while a closer assessment of cases of continuous blood clot.
“Currently, there is no indication that vaccination caused these conditions,” the regulator said on Thursday. He said the number of people with blood clots in vaccinated people was not higher than those who had not been inoculated.
The World Health Organization said the same thing, but added that it would evaluate the reports, although it did not expect changes to the recommendations based on current evidence.
The UK drug regulator also said it had not received any reports of blood clots in people who were caused by the AstraZeneca vaccine. Over 11 million doses of AstraZeneca have been administered in the UK
“The blood clot reports received so far are not higher than the number that would have occurred naturally in the vaccinated population,” the agency said.
The EU Medicines Authority said separately that product information for the AstraZeneca vaccine should be updated to see that cases of severe allergic reactions have been reported.
The suggested update is based on a review of 41 reported cases of anaphylaxis or severe allergic reactions, which were identified among 5 million people who received the AstraZeneca vaccine. In a statement on Friday, the Amsterdam agency said it had concluded that “a link to the vaccine is likely in at least some of these cases”.
Such allergic reactions are a rarely recognized side effect for many vaccines and have been reported for other COVID-19 vaccines, including one developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.
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Associated Press journalists from Africa, Asia and Europe contributed to this report.
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