The DA health group says there is no causal link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clots and is reviewing data.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has backed the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine after some European countries stopped its distribution following reports of blood clot formation in several recipients.
“More than 335 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered worldwide to date, and no deaths have been detected as a result of COVID-19 vaccines,” WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Friday at online press conference.
At least five European countries, including Denmark, Norway and Iceland, have stopped using a special batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine after a Danish woman died as a result of blood clot formation after vaccine. The Italian drug regulator said it stopped using a separate batch after two people died.
However, the European Medicines Agency stressed that the benefits of the jobs still outweighed their risks and WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said on Friday that no causal link had been established between the vaccine and clotting.
“So far we are confident that we should go ahead,” she said, referring to the use of AstraZeneca injection.
The WHO also said a panel of experts was reviewing the latest reports and said any changes to its current recommendations will be communicated to the public immediately.
Thailand and the Republic of the Congo were the first non-European countries to stop the spread of the scene on Friday.
Congo received 1.7 million doses of AstraZeneca through the global program for the COVAX vaccine on March 2, but has yet to begin their inoculation campaign.
WHO Deputy Director General Mariangela Simao said the now-investigated AstraZeneca bats had been tested in Europe, while the drug dealer’s planned vaccines for COVAX were carried out by carriers. manufacturing in India and South Korea.
J&J injection gave emergency permission
On Friday, the WHO released an emergency use listing for the vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson, meaning the one-dose picture can now be used as part of the international COVAX effort to roll out vaccines across globalization, including poor countries with no supply. .
The emergency practice listing comes a day after the European Medicines Agency recommended that the picture should be given a green view across the 27-country European Union.
A large study spanning three continents found that the J&J vaccine was 85 percent effective in protecting against serious illness, hospitalization and death. That protection remained strong even in countries like South Africa where new coronavirus variants have been identified that appear to be less susceptible to other approved vaccines, including the one made by AstraZeneca.
COVAX previously announced that it had an initial agreement with J&J to dispense 500 million doses, but that is not legally binding.
“Hopefully at least in July we will have access to doses that we can release, if not even earlier,” Bruce Aylward, a senior adviser to the WHO chief, said on Friday.
He said officials were specifically looking to get J&J doses to countries as it only requires one dose and can be stored at a constant cooling temperature.
J&J has been opposed to production delays in the U.S. and Europe but has recently signed agreements with competing drugs that will help make their vaccine.
In February, Sanofi Pasteur said they would be able to make around 12 million doses of the J&J vaccine at one of their French production sites once the picture is cleared by the EMA. It aims to produce a billion doses this year.