AstraZeneca vaccine suspension is ‘not sensible’ says expert

When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters.Sometimes they’ll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer.Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights.You can unsubscribe at any time.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi spoke on the phone on Tuesday after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) confirmed, for the umpteenth time, that the Oxford vaccine is safe to be administered.

More than a dozen EU member states had suspended the use of the Anglo-Swedish jab on Monday after reports of blood clots as one of the side effects.

On Tuesday, both France and Italy admitted the decision had been “political” and was taken on the back of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s announcement to suspend the vaccine.

Now the two leaders seem to have bypassed their German counterpart and decided the use of the vaccine can be resumed as soon as tomorrow.

Emer Cooke, the EMA’s executive director, told a press briefing on Tuesday there was “no indication” that the vaccine was the cause of the “very rare” reported blood clots.

She added: “The number of thromboembolic events overall in vaccinated people seems not to be higher than that seen in the general population.”

Ms Cooke said 30 cases of blood clots had been reported to the EMA by March 10 among almost five million people vaccinated, but additional cases had been reported over the weekend.

She said there would be an increase in the reporting of such cases due to the publicity surrounding the current reports.

The EMA is looking at the incidence of blood clots and some reports of abnormally low levels of blood platelets among some people who have had the jab.

On Tuesday night, French prime minister Jean Castex suggested attitudes towards the AstraZeneca jab in the country were shifting after telling broadcasters he would accept a dose of the vaccine “as soon as the suspension is lifted”.

After the EMA’s press conference, Mr Draghi said Ms Cooke’s comments were “encouraging”.

Should the EMA give the official green light to the jab on Thursday, the two leaders “are ready to quickly restart the administration of the vaccine”, Mr Draghi said.

But the suspension, albeit brief, has put extra pressure on an already botched vaccination rollout.

DON’T MISS:
Does Pfizer vaccine cause blood clots? Data shows surprising results [DATA]
Why are countries stopping AstraZeneca vaccine? [ANALYSIS]
Oxford jab is SAFE! Hancock hits back at EU vaccine slurs [VIDEO]

The Italian leader said: “The impact of this suspension on the campaign can be estimated at 200,000 fewer vaccinations.”

But he added that if AstraZeneca vaccinations are resumed by March 18, “the slowdown can be reabsorbed within a couple of weeks, also thanks to the increase in the quantity of the Pfizer vaccine estimated at 707,850 doses”.

In a statement to EU leaders, Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakidis urged member states to meet their vaccination targets as the bloc continues to lag behind the UK, US and Israel.

She said: “I have said this to you many times already. We are racing against time, not against each other.

“On the contrary, it is a race that we in the EU are running together, as a team and in unity.

“As a team, it is important to set clear and ambitious targets. And as a united team, it is important to support each other to achieve these targets.

“Vaccinations need to speed up.

“This is why we are calling on Member States to meet the vaccination targets we have set out in this Communication.”

Source: Read Full Article