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GENEVA / ZURICH – The director general of the World Health Organization said on Monday that systems aimed at protecting public health were working, as several countries suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine to investigate possible side effects.
“This does not necessarily mean that these events are related to COVID-19 vaccination, but it is routine practice to investigate them and it shows that the surveillance system is working and that effective controls are in place,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a virtual press conference. .
A WHO advisory committee plans to meet Tuesday to discuss the vaccine, which Germany, France and Italy said on Monday were on hiatus after several countries reported serious conditions in people who had received the vaccine.
Denmark and Norway stopped giving the injection last week after reporting isolated cases of blood clots, bleeding or a low platelet count. Iceland and Bulgaria followed suit and Ireland and the Netherlands announced suspensions on Sunday.
Still, the WHO chief scientist reiterated Monday that no deaths related to COVID-19 vaccines have been documented.
“We don’t want people to panic,” WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan told the briefing, adding that so far no association has been found between “thromboembolic events” reported in some countries and injections. of COVID-19.
Even when some countries discontinue injection of AstraZeneca, others continue its use as the WHO and other bodies say the benefits continue to outweigh any risks.
The UK, where the AstraZeneca vaccine was developed in partnership with the University of Oxford, says it is not concerned, while the drug maker has said a review of safety data has shown no evidence of an increased risk of clots. blood. – Reuters
