LONDON – Ireland and the Netherlands have joined the growing list of countries that have suspended the use of the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University for blood clot problems.
The Dutch government said on Sunday that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine would not be used until at least March 29, while Ireland said earlier in the day that it had temporarily suspended shooting as a precautionary measure.
The World Health Organization has tried to minimize ongoing safety concerns, saying last week that there is no link between the shot and an increased risk of developing blood clots. The United Nations health agency has urged countries to continue using the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
Despite this, several European countries have already stopped using the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. It has added to the disease problems of the region’s vaccination campaign at a time when the German public health agency warned that a third wave of coronavirus infections had already begun.
Thailand has also stopped the planned deployment of the vaccine.
The decision to stop its use by Dutch and Irish officials came shortly after the Norwegian drug agency said it had been notified of three health workers who were being treated at the hospital for bleeding, blood clots. and a low number of blood platelets after receiving the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. Norway has suspended its Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccination program.
Geir Bukholm, director of the Infection Control and Environmental Health Division at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, said the Norwegian drug agency “would monitor these alleged side effects and take the necessary measures in this regard. serious situation “.
The image taken on November 27, 2020 shows “Nikki” Anniken Hars treating a Covid-19 patient in the intensive care unit of Rikshospitalet University Hospital in Oslo in Oslo, Norway.
JIL YNGLAND | AFP | Getty Images
The European Medicines Regulator, the European Medicines Agency, has also said there is no evidence that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine causes blood clots, adding that it believes the benefits of the vaccine “continue to outweigh its risks”. .
The EMA acknowledged that some European countries had stopped the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca trait, but said inoculations could continue to be administered while blood clot cases are under investigation.
How did AstraZeneca respond?
“A careful review of all available safety data of more than 17 million people vaccinated in the European Union (EU) and the UK with the COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine has not shown any increased risk of pulmonary embolism, thrombosis deep vein (DVT) or thrombocytopenia, in any defined age group, gender, batch or in any particular country, “AstraZeneca said in a statement Sunday.
The most common side effects of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which does not contain the virus and cannot cause covid, are usually mild to moderate and improve within a few days after vaccination.
A health worker has a box of the AstraZeneneca vaccine at the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute in Nonthaburi province, on the outskirts of Bangkok.
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The pharmaceutical giant said there had been 15 events of deep vein thrombosis and 22 events of pulmonary embolism among vaccinated people across the EU and the UK.
“This is much lower than is expected to occur naturally in a general population of this size and is similar in other licensed COVID-19 vaccines,” AstraZeneca said.
What do the experts say?
“Covid definitely causes clotting disorders and each of the vaccines prevents Covid’s disease, including the most severe cases,” said Stephen Evans, a professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
“Therefore, it is extremely likely that the benefit of the vaccine will significantly outweigh any risk of coagulation disorders and that the vaccine will prevent other consequences of Covid, including deaths from other causes.”
Evans said it was “completely reasonable” to do studies on vaccines and clotting disorders, but added: “It seems like a step too long in taking precautions to stop receiving vaccines that prevent disease.”
Many high-income countries, such as the United Kingdom, France, Australia and Canada, have chosen to continue their respective implementation of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
“If there is clear evidence of serious or life-threatening side effects that will have significant consequences,” Adam Finn, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Bristol, said in a statement.
“However, so far it has not done so and it is highly undesirable to interrupt a complex and urgent program every time people develop diseases after receiving a vaccine that may be coincidental and not causally related. Make the right call in situations like this. it’s not easy, but having one is probably what is most needed with a firm hand on the machine, ”Finn said.