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لندن Ireland and the Netherlands suspended use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine on Sunday after reports of blood clots were reported in adults who received the vaccine in Norway.
On Sunday, the Irish National Advisory Committee for Immunology recommended suspending the use of the British vaccine “AstraZeneca” against the Corona virus, temporarily due to fear of blood clots.
This came after 3 European countries, on Thursday, suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, due to medical concerns.
Medical Vice President Ronan Glenn said in a statement: “The recommendation was made following a report by the Norwegian Medicines Agency on 4 new cases of serious blood clots after receiving the AstraZeneca Corona virus vaccine.”
Glenn added that the National Immunization Advisory Committee is operating on the basis of the “precautionary principle” as it has not yet confirmed any link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and these cases.
For its part, the Dutch Ministry of Health said in a statement that “Based on new information, the Dutch Medicines Authority has advised, as a precautionary measure and pending further investigation, to suspend the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine” against COVID -19.
The statement quoted Health Minister Hugo de Jong as saying that “we must always be careful, and that is why it is prudent to press the Stop now button, as a precautionary measure.”
Absence of proof
AstraZeneca’s reputation has already been damaged, after suspending use of its vaccine this week in Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Bulgaria following the detection of dangerous blood clots in people who received it, while Italy and Austria banned the vaccine. use of separate group doses of AstraZeneca.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo also postponed its campaign, which was due to begin on March 15, after receiving 1.7 million doses of this vaccine.
AstraZeneca suffered a further setback after the European Union Medicines Regulatory Authority announced that anaphylaxis should be added to the side effects of the vaccine after potential links to several cases in Britain were discovered.
Around 570,000 doses of coronavirus vaccines have so far been administered in Ireland, according to government data updated last Wednesday.
The International Health Agency confirms that after injecting more than 260 million doses of vaccines, no deaths have been attributed to the Covid-19 vaccine.
The vaccine was developed by the University of Oxford, Great Britain, and the British-Swedish laboratory AstraZeneca, and is based on viral vector technology. It has been approved for use in the European Union, Great Britain and some non-wealthy countries such as India, where it is sold under the name “Coffeeshield”.
The vaccine was 60 percent effective, according to the European Medicines Agency, and is cheaper than the first two vaccines and easier to store. Studies
Real life in Britain has been more effective in preventing a serious Covid-19 infection.
A total of 109,000 of these doses were manufactured by the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical giant.
An AstraZeneca spokesperson said: “An analysis of our safety data covering reported cases after more than 17 million doses of the vaccine administered showed no evidence of risk related to a blood clot.”
“The numbers reported for these types of cases related to the AstraZeneca vaccine for Covid-19 are lower than the number of cases that will occur naturally in unvaccinated people,” he added.
And while the World Health Organization announced Friday that there is no reason to stop using the AstraZeneca vaccine, after many countries suspended its deployment amid concerns that it could cause blood clots, the European Union added hypersensitivity to potential side effects.
The organization, which said its vaccine advisory committee is investigating the integrity of the data received, stressed that no causal link has been reached between the AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clotting.
Side effects
“AstraZeneca is an excellent vaccine, like all other vaccines that are used,” WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told reporters in Geneva.
“Yes, we must continue to use the AstraZeneca vaccine,” he added, emphasizing that any safety concerns should be investigated.
The United Nations Health Agency confirmed that after more than 260 million doses of all vaccines have been injected so far worldwide, no deaths have been attributed to a Covid-19 vaccine.
The Swedish-British laboratory, which authorized the use of its vaccine in the bloc, said at the end of last January: “The AstraZeneca laboratory regrets to announce a reduction in deliveries of the Covid-19 vaccine to the European Union.”
He referred to “export restrictions” on vaccines manufactured outside the European Union to justify his inability to administer more than 100 million doses in the six months ending next June, including only 70 million doses out of 180 million. that he was supposed to administer. deliver to the European Union during the second quarter of the year.
On Saturday, the European Commission declined to reveal the number of doses the European Union is expecting to receive from AstraZeneca, stating that it continues to hold discussions about the lab with member states.
Last January, the lab lowered its targets for the first quarter due to a “productivity” issue at its factory in Belgium.
AstraZeneca, facing production difficulties, decided to use its manufacturing plants outside the European Union to deliver its orders to the 27 member states, but “unfortunately, export restrictions will reduce deliveries in the first quarter of the year” and ” probably “in the second quarter, according to the spokesperson.
The European Commission, which negotiated contracts on behalf of the 27 member states, expects deliveries to rebound in the second quarter of the year. Previously, it has faced harsh criticism for slow vaccine deliveries in Europe and delays in AstraZeneca shipments.
The administration rate in the countries of the Union can reach 100 million doses per month of all authorized vaccines between April and June, or 300 million doses in a full quarter.
The European Commission aims to have vaccinated 70 percent of Europeans by the end of the summer.
AstraZeneca announced in late January that it could only deliver 40 million doses to the 27 member states in the first quarter of the year out of the 120 million it had promised to deliver at the beginning, due to production difficulties in a Belgian country. plant.
When will the vaccine arrive?
For his part, the local Minister of Health of the German state of Bavaria criticized the reduction in the supply of the AstraZeneca vaccine by its manufacturer.
This has “changed,” Klaus Holchik told the German weekly “Bild am Sonntag” in its Sunday edition.
Absolutely acceptable ”and hurts confidence greatly.
He added that the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company attributed the reason for the reduction in supplies to export restrictions from other countries, adding: “But export restrictions cannot be at the expense of people’s health.”
It is noteworthy that the state of Bavaria intends to start vaccination by family doctors in the border regions, in particular, on the first of April next.
“It is important that the vaccine that was announced in early April arrives and is delivered quickly at all levels,” said the local health minister.
