GENEVA: The World Health Organization said on Friday that there is no reason to suspend the Covid-19 vaccine at AstraZeneca after several countries banned the spread over fear of a blood clot while some countries begin to warning of another wave of virus.
The WHO, which said its vaccination advisory committee was examining the incoming safety data, confirmed that no causal link has been established between the AstraZeneca vaccine and clotting.
“AstraZeneca is an excellent vaccine, as are the other vaccines in use,” WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told reporters in Geneva.
“Yes, we should continue to use the AstraZeneca vaccine,” she said, stressing that any safety concerns must be investigated.
UK-based AstraZeneca said his injection was safe, adding that there was “no evidence” that it had higher blood clot risks.
Despite hopes that vaccines will pave the way for a return to regularity, hard Italy has announced tough new restrictions in much of the country, with Prime Minister Mario Draghi warning the country that “a new wave ”Of diseases there.
One year after becoming the first European country to suffer a major setback, Italy is once again struggling with the rapid release of Covid-19, this time motivated by new changes, more contagious.
Schools, restaurants, shops and museums were ordered Friday to close across most regions of Italy, including Rome and Milan from next week.
Greek authorities on Friday spoke of a “severe epidemiological situation,” also warning of the third wave as infection numbers rise in Athens and other major cities.
Health experts there warned that preventative measures in place, including the closure of schools in major cities, would be extended once again.
And Disneyland Paris, Europe’s largest tourist destination, said on Friday that it will not be able to reopen as expected on April 2 due to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis with diseases remaining high in France.
The shadow cast over the AstraZeneca injection adds to problems the European Union has had in distributing coronavirus vaccines.
Denmark, Norway and Iceland have stopped using AstraZeneca injection as a warning following isolated reports of recipients developing blood clots.
Italy and Austria have banned the use of shots from individual AstraZeneca bags, and Thailand and Bulgaria said this week that they would delay the release of the photo.
In Spain at least five regions said on Friday that they had stopped the use of the AstraZeneca vaccines from the suspected batch banned by Austria as a precautionary measure.
But several other countries, including Australia, said they would continue as they had no reason to change course. Canada also said there was no evidence that the injection caused adverse effects.
In a new scenario, the EU drugs regulator said major allergies should be added to the possible side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine after links similar to several cases in Britain.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on Friday suggested that some European countries may have signed “secret contracts” with vaccine companies to get more vaccines than they were entitled to based on EU rules.
EU members have agreed that vaccines should be distributed among countries according to population size, but Kurz said that after comparing Member States’ total supply figures, it was clear ” delivery does not follow the per capita quota system. ”
Despite the obstacles elsewhere, US President Joe Biden gave hope to a country, the worst in the world.
The director vowed to return to a form of regularity before July 4, citing the national holidays as his target for “independence” from the virus.
After a gloomy start, the U.S. has ramped up its vaccination program, following the advice of scientists who say jabs are the only way out of a pandemic that has killed 2.6 million people worldwide. the world.
There was also good news about the face of the vaccine as the WHO on Friday approved the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine, paving the way for an additional 500 million doses to enter the global Covax vaccine sharing scheme .
“All new, safe and effective devices against Covid-19 are one step closer to controlling the pandemic,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.
The news comes after the one-dose injection was approved by the European Union on Thursday.
It has also received the green light from regulators in the United States, Canada, South Africa and France – which on Friday killed 90,000 coronavirus deaths since the outbreak began.
It was announced at the same time that India will manufacture at least a billion more doses of Covid-19 vaccine by the end of next year in a joint venture with the United States, Japan and Australia.
After the countries’ first four-way conference, US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the Quad had a so-called “big promise together” on vaccines.
“The Quad promised to deliver up to a billion doses to ASEAN, the Indo-Pacific and beyond by the end of 2022,” Sullivan told reporters.
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ASTRAZENECA
JOHNSON & JOHNSON
SCA EURO DISNEY