A vial of Oxford University / AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine can be seen at Lochee Health Center in Dundee, Scotland, Britain January 4, 2021.
Anndra Buchanan | Amar | Reuters
LONDON – France and Italy say they are ready to quickly resume inoculation programs with the AstraZeneca vaccine if regulators confirm it is still safe to use.
The first statement from the European Medicines Agency on Tuesday was “encouraging,” the office of Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said Tuesday in a statement following a phone call by French President Emmanuel Macron. She said that in the event of a positive decision by the EMA, France and Italy were ready “to resume the vaccine”.
The two countries are among more than a dozen that stopped the firing of AstraZeneca-Oxford University following reports of blood clots in a few of the citizens who received the vaccine.
Concerns about the possible side effects of the vaccine surfaced last week after a woman died in Austria. Since then, more countries have reported cases of blood clots and an unusual number of pests in a few patients. AstraZeneca said Sunday that of the 17 million people vaccinated in the EU and the UK, there are 15 cases of deep vein thrombosis and 22 examples of pulmonary embolism, according to data obtained up to 8 March.
We remain convinced that the benefits … outweigh the risks of these side effects.
Cooke Emer
Executive director at EMA
European health authorities still believe the bullet is good for use in the fight against Covid-19. The EMA said Tuesday that “there is no indication so far that the reports of blood clots were caused directly by the vaccine.
“We remain firmly convinced that the… benefits outweigh the risk of these side effects,” Emer Cooke, executive director of the EMA, said at a news conference.
She confirmed that the foundation is examining 30 reports of abnormal blood problems and will report the outcome of this work on Thursday.
A group of EU countries, including Belgium and Poland, have continued to administer the AstraZeneca bullet. Those European countries that have suspended vaccination are awaiting notification of the EMA to decide how to proceed.
In the meantime, the EMA is “concerned that vaccine confidence could be affected,” Cooke said Tuesday.
The EU vaccination program has overcome a number of obstacles. Doubts among the public over the safety of vaccines could derail the EU’s target of 70% of adults being vaccinated by the end of the summer.
EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides said on Tuesday that it is “important that citizens can feel trusted and trusted in the vaccines authorized by the European Medicines Agency, so that we can fight this virus together. “”
On Monday, more than 6 million EU citizens had received the AstraZeneca vaccine out of more than 46 million inoculations, according to data from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
The European Commission also urged member states on Tuesday to use all vaccine doses.
ECDC data shows that more than 62 million doses have been distributed to member states, showing that nearly 20 million doses are still being delivered.