Nearly a dozen countries from Indonesia to France will start using the COVID vaccine again, as EMA, WHO and UK agencies dispel fears of blood clot reports.
Nearly a dozen countries resumed using COVID-19 shots at AstraZeneca on Friday as EU and British regulators said the benefits outweighed any risks after reports of rare cases of blood stopped on inoculations over time.
The end of the allegations will begin a test of public confidence, both in the picture and in drug regulators whose decisions are under unprecedented scrutiny, the spread of virus changes and the global death toll, now at nearly 2.7 million, rising.
Indonesia joined Germany, France and others in reading the sights after banning vaccines on reports of about 30 cases of rare brain blood clots, after millions of injections, which scientists and governments put in place to find out if there was a connection.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Thursday came to the clear conclusion that the benefits of the vaccine in protecting people from coronavirus-related death or hospital outweigh the potential risks. to be there.
However, the EMA said a rare link between blood clotting events in the brain and the picture could not be definitively managed and would continue to be investigated, along with the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) ).
“This is a safe and effective vaccine,” EMA director Emer Cooke told a preparatory meeting Thursday. “If it was me, I’d be getting the vaccine tomorrow.”
‘It’s the virus we’re fighting, not the vaccines’
The EMA said it will update its vaccination guidance to include patients with an explanation of the risks and potential information for health care professionals, to help people identify conditions when who may need to seek medical help after receiving the vaccine.
Following the EMA move, others are also being sought to reinforce confidence in the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is seen worldwide as an important asset due to its relatively easy storage and transportation requirements and cheap price. compared to mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna.
“The thing we should be focusing on is that this is very encouraging. The processes are working, the safety audit that we all expect from our authorities is happening, ”Andrew Pollard, who runs the Oxford Vaccine Group, told BBC Radio, after the two regulators say that vaccines could continue after reports of blood clots.
“We need to continue to monitor safety, but ultimately it is the virus that we are fighting, not the vaccines. “
Oxford University is in partnership with AstraZeneca on the vaccine.
Germany, France, Italy build stops
Germany began administering the AstraZeneca vaccine from Friday morning, while French Prime Minister Jean Castex said he would try to encourage a similar resumption in his country by getting his own picture. Friday.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said Italy would follow suit, responding to comments from Cyprus, Latvia and Lithuania.
Spain will start onoculations from Wednesday. Canada also supported the vaccine.
The MHRA is investigating five cases of the rare brain blood clot reported out of 11 million sightings reported in the UK.
They said he would investigate reports of clots in the cerebral veins (sinus vein thrombosis, or CSVT) occurring in combination with low-grade tumors shortly after vaccination. But the group said the use of the vaccine should continue and one official said the spread of the UK was unlikely to stop even if a link was confirmed.
The drug dealer’s own review covering more than 17 million people who received the bullet in the EU and UK found no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots.
The World Health Organization, which also confirmed this week its support for the picture that remains a key part of its COVAX vaccine sharing program, is expected Friday to provide an update on the review of the vaccine advisory committee yourself.