There is “no indication” that AstraZeneca vaccines are causing blood clots reported in some burn recipients, the head of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said Tuesday.
The governing body responded after more than a dozen EU countries banned the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine amid health concerns.
The group “remains strongly convinced that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing COVID-19 with the associated risk of hospitalization and death outweigh the risk of these side effects , “said Executive Director Emer Cooke.
Cooke said the EMA assessment of individual incidents is ongoing. It is expected to complete a full review on Thursday.
What are the concerns about the vaccine?
There are fears about the safety of the vaccine in some countries following several cases of blood clots or brain hemorrhages in people after receiving the vaccine. A small number of deaths have been reported.
The WHO, AstraZeneca, and the EMA have all been assured that AstraZeneca bullets are safe, and that there is no link between the vaccine and reported blood clots. They say clots do not occur in greater numbers or frequency than usual in the general population.
The three largest EU countries – Germany, Italy, and France – joined others to ban the use of the vaccine on Monday. Sweden and Latvia followed suit on Tuesday.
The news has dealt a blow to the global vaccine campaign against coronavirus, which has now killed more than 2.6 million people.
The vaccine was developed by the British-Swedish company AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford in England. More than 11 million doses have been given in the UK, with no major complications reported.
Rebuilding trust
Emer affirmed that “trust in the safety and efficacy of these vaccines is of paramount importance to us.”
She said it was the group’s job to make sure the vaccines were safe.
EMA, WHO reviews follow
Having speculated that blood clot events were associated with a particular vaccine batch, Cooke said it was “unlikely” but not ruled out by the EMA.
“We are looking at serious incidents related to all vaccines,” Cooke said when asked if he was also reviewing the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, following reports of circulations with the that job in the United States.
The World Health Organization (WHO) expert committee is also reviewing isolated cases of blood clots and low platelet count in vaccinated individuals.
kmm, rc / aw (AFP, Reuters, dpa, AP)