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The World Health Organization said there was no reason to stop using AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 jab after several countries suspended the launch for fear of blood clots, while the United States surpassed 100 million doses of vaccine. administered to its population.
The WHO, which said its vaccine advisory committee was examining the safety data received, stressed yesterday that no causal link has been established between the AstraZeneca vaccine and clotting.
“Yes, we must continue to use the AstraZeneca vaccine,” WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said, emphasizing that any safety concerns should be investigated.
Britain-based AstraZeneca insisted its jab was safe, adding “there is no evidence” of increased risks of blood clots.
Yesterday, the National Immunization Advisory Committee said there was no change in advice on the use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.
Despite hopes that vaccines will pave the way for a return to normalcy, Italy announced tough new restrictions across much of the country, and Prime Minister Mario Draghi warned that the country faces “a new wave” of infections.
A year after it became the first European country to face a major outbreak, Italy is again struggling with the rapid spread of Covid-19, this time driven by newer and more contagious variants.
Schools, restaurants, shops and museums were ordered to close in most regions of Italy, including Rome and Milan, starting next week.
Disneyland Paris, one of Europe’s biggest tourist attractions, said it will not be able to reopen as planned on April 2, as infections remain stubbornly high in France.
The shadow cast over the AstraZeneca coup adds to the problems of the European Union to distribute vaccines.
Denmark, Norway and Iceland stopped using the drug manufacturer’s injection as a precautionary measure after isolated reports of recipients developing blood clots.
Italy and Austria have banned the use of jabs from separate batches of AstraZeneca, and Thailand and Bulgaria said this week they would delay the launch.
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India will carry out a more in-depth review of post-vaccination side effects of the AstraZeneca injection next week, although no cases of blood clots have been reported so far, the Hindustan Times reported, citing officials.
“The review is carried out as a matter of great caution,” he told the NK Arora newspaper of the Indian covid working group.
In Spain, at least five regions said they had suspended the use of AstraZeneca vaccines from the suspected batch banned by Austria as a precautionary measure.
But several other countries, including Australia, said they would continue their launches as they had found no reason to alter course. Canada also said there is no evidence that jab causes adverse reactions.
In a meeting with the company last night, the Taoiseach expressed frustration that AstraZeneca did not meet vaccine delivery schedules.
Micheál Martin had what was described as “long and positive” virtual discussions with the CEO of the pharmaceutical firm, Pascal Soriot.
A spokesperson for the Taoiseach said it made clear Ireland’s disappointment and frustrations over the failure to meet previous delivery schedules.
Despite setbacks elsewhere, US President Joe Biden has worked to offer hope to his country, which has battled the world’s largest outbreak.
He vowed to return to some kind of normalcy by July 4, marking the national holiday as his goal for “independence” from the virus.
After a shaky start, the United States has stepped up its vaccination program, following the advice of scientists who say the blows are the only way out of a pandemic that has killed 2.6 million people worldwide.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 100 million doses of vaccines have been administered in the United States, about 30 percent of the world’s total gun injections so far.
There was also encouraging news as the WHO approved Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine, paving the way for an additional 500 million doses to enter the global Covax vaccine exchange scheme.
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