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But nothing indicates a cause and effect relationship, and the rapid reactions of health authorities in several countries have divided medical professionals, according to AFP, cited by Agerpres. The BBC also wonders whether European countries are too cautious in the context of a rapidly spreading pandemic.
“It makes no sense to stop vaccination. It’s like saying: ‘There was a car accident with a vaccinated person, from now on we will ban driving or abolish vaccination,'” Bruno Riou, director, said on Monday. In the Assistance. Publique-Hopitaux de Paris (AP-HP), for France Inter.
Several European countries suspended the administration of serum after March 8, when Austria first announced that it was recalling a batch of AstraZeneca vaccines following the death of a nurse. His death occurred as a result of a blood clotting problem 10 days after vaccination.
Denmark, Norway, Iceland, followed by the Netherlands, have suspended the entire vaccination program.
On Monday, Germany, followed by France and Italy, decided to suspend the serum until a decision by the European Medicines Authority. Spain is the latest European country to announce a two-week suspension of its vaccination campaign.
Reported cases in Austria, Denmark, Norway, and Italy have involved thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, or an “unusual” drop in platelet count, some of which are fatal.
Measures in these countries follow the precautionary principle, a standard practice when vaccine-related side effects occur. However, the authorities recognized that a causal link has not yet been established, but only a chronological one, between these blood problems and the administration of the vaccine.
“When we use a relatively recent product, as are all these new vaccines, we have to monitor them as if they were burning milk and, as soon as a signal appears, although we do not believe in the risk it induces, we have to stop everything,” he said Thursday the expert. Switzerland on Claire-Anne Siegrist vaccines for RTS, according to Agerpres.
However, other experts say that these health problems do not appear to be more common after vaccination with AstraZeneca serum than among people vaccinated with other immunization products used in Europe, such as the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.
It is an argument made this Sunday in an Astrazeneca statement that the number of cases of thrombosis after receiving the vaccine is “similar” to that reported by other COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers.
“It is very reasonable to carefully study the links between vaccines and clotting problems, but it goes too far when we prevent people from receiving vaccines that can help them avoid disease,” said Stephen Evans, an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
There were only 35 such cases in the 9.7 million people who received a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which represents 0.0004%, and 24 cases in the 10.7 million people who were vaccinated with Pfizer serum- BioNTech, 0.0002%.
According to figures provided by AstraZeneca, about 17 million people have been vaccinated with this serum in Europe and the United Kingdom, writes the BBC.
According to Sky News, the EMA emphasized that “there is currently no evidence that vaccination caused these conditions,” adding that the benefits of inoculation with this serum continue to outweigh the risks.
A review of each incident is underway and the regulator says that out of nearly five million people who have been vaccinated across Europe, there have only been 30 reports of blood clots.
For its part, the WHO said it was reviewing the reports of these cases, but recommended further vaccination.
The Netherlands said it would stop vaccination after cases of possible serious side effects were reported in Denmark and Norway. Subsequently, a Dutch watchdog reported 10 cases of vaccinated people with similar side effects.
Ireland, Iceland and Bulgaria are other European countries that have decided to suspend vaccination with AstraZeneca serum, while Romania has recalled some batches.
AstraZeneca reported 15 incidents of thrombosis (blood clots in the deep veins) and 22 pulmonary embolisms; These figures do not indicate a higher frequency of such problems than in the general population, given the large number of people vaccinated.
“The nature of the pandemic has led to increased attention to individual cases and we are going beyond standard practices to monitor the safety of authorized drugs when reporting vaccine events to ensure public safety,” said Ann Taylor, chief medical officer of AstraZeneca.
Number of countries and territories where available vaccines are administered PHOTO Capture via BBC
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) will hold a special meeting this Thursday to decide if the measures are “necessary” on the issue of the AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19, estimating that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks, according to AFP, cited . by news.ro.
The European authority said in a statement Monday that it will “examine the vaccine information” in more detail after several countries, including France and Germany, suspended its use as a precautionary measure, following fears of unrelated blood clots at this stage. .
The Amsterdam-based agency added that it “called an extraordinary meeting on Thursday to conclude on the information collected and any further action that may be necessary.”
However, the EMA has assured that the vaccine developed by the AstraZeneca laboratory and the University of Oxford is safe.
“The EMA holds the view that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing Covid-19, with the associated risk of hospitalization and death, outweigh the risks of side effects,” the agency said.
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