PARIS (AP) – First, France abruptly stopped vaccines against AstraZeneca. Now, the French prime minister wants to get one as soon as he can.
With the recovery of the virus from Paris to Budapest and beyond, European governments that rushed to suspend the use of AstraZeneca vaccines after reports of blood clots are realizing the far-reaching impact of the measure. And suddenly they seem anxious for any sign – or fig leaf – that will allow them to resume firing.
This could come as early as Thursday, when the European Medicines Agency publishes the first results of its investigations into whether there is a connection between the vaccine and blood clots. So far, the EMA and the World Health Organization have said there is no evidence that the vaccine is to blame.
But experts worry that the damage has already been done. The suspensions of Germany, France, Italy, Spain and others have fueled doubts about the often malignant AstraZeneca vaccine, and vaccination efforts in general, as the world struggles to beat the pandemic..
“There are thousands of new cases every day in Germany, France, Italy, etc. If you stop vaccination during this ongoing pandemic, you will know that people will die, “Michael Head, a senior researcher in global health at the University of Southampton, told The Associated Press.
While stressing the importance of investigating potentially dangerous side effects, he said: “It is entirely possible to investigate the signals without stopping the deployment of the vaccine.”
Some countries adhere to AstraZeneca vaccines. India on Wednesday pledged to continue vaccinations, hours before Brazil’s health minister held the first doses of bottled AstraZeneca in the country.
New coronavirus cases grew 10% globally last week, driven by rises in Europe and the Americas, the WHO said on Wednesday, urging continued vaccinations.
“The disease is turning the corner in the wrong direction and we need to control it,” said Dr Michael Ryan, WHO’s head of emergencies. “We will be left behind by the virus again.”
Even before Thursday’s announcement by the European medicines watchdog, the President of the European Commission made it clear that the AstraZeneca vaccine will continue to be a pillar of the EU’s vaccination strategy.
“I trust AstraZeneca, I trust the vaccines,” Ursula von der Leyen said.
Instead of addressing the vaccination suspensions that have divided the EU, von der Leyen focused on the pharmaceutical company’s supply problems and spoke again about export bans on vaccines made in the EU..
“Unfortunately, AstraZeneca has produced underproduction and underproduction, and this, of course, has slowed down the vaccination campaign,” he told reporters. He said the EU still intends to vaccinate 70% of all adults by September.
But AstraZeneca’s shooting suspensions in a number of countries cascade they have meant another setback in the EU vaccination campaign, which has been hit by shortages and other obstacles and lags far behind campaigns in Britain and the United States. problems.
Almost as soon as the French president froze the vaccines on Monday, senior French officials began to worry about the impact on public opinion of a country where many already considered the AstraZeneca vaccine to be second-class and where vaccine skepticism is widespread.
Now the government hopes to announce the resumption of vaccinations as soon as Thursday. The Paris region is facing new blockade measures this week, as the most contagious and harmful virus variants have pushed intensive care units beyond capacity and have re-produced infections, despite the curfew. across the country at 6pm and the long-term closure of restaurants and many businesses.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex, who at 55 and with no known health problems is still not eligible for vaccination, told national television on Tuesday night that “it would be prudent for me to be vaccinated very quickly, as soon as suspend, I hope, raised. “
Castex said it wants to show its fellow citizens “that vaccination is the gateway to this crisis.”
Italy is following a similar line. Health Minister Roberto Speranza says European countries expect the EMA to give “the necessary clarifications and guarantees” on Thursday to be able to continue administering the AstraZeneca vaccine “without hesitation”.
In Germany, where eight cases of blood clots are being investigated, officials defended the decision to suspend vaccines for further investigation, but seemed willing to resume them soon. Health Ministry spokesman Hanno Kautz said: “It is clear that the EMA’s decision is binding and of course we will also follow the EMA’s decision.”
The Lithuanian president criticized his health minister’s decision to suspend the shootings, saying it causes “enormous damage to the entire vaccination process”.
The impact has reached beyond Europe, with some people blaming the AstraZeneca vaccine as insufficient, even when it is the only one available.
Amós García, president of the Spanish Vaccine Association, said it will be difficult for governments to rebuild confidence in the global coronavirus vaccination program, regardless of what the EMA announces.
“The problem when a vaccine is questioned is not that it affects that vaccine, but it affects the whole world of vaccination,” he said.
“Possibly there has been an excess of zeal” among Spanish governments that suspended vaccines, he said. But he praised Europe’s vaccine surveillance systems for quickly identifying and investigating blood clot problems. Spain examines three such cases.
Spanish Health Minister Carolina Darias defended the decision to suspend the AstraZeneca vaccine, saying it was necessary to “continue to build confidence” in efforts to combat COVID-19.
The EMA says thousands of people across the EU develop blood clots every year for a variety of reasons and that no increased clotting incidents were reported in clinical trials of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The company says there have been 37 reports of blood clots among the more than 17 million people who have received the vaccine in the EU and Britain.
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Cook reported from Brussels. Maria Cheng in London, Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Aritz Parra in Madrid, Colleen Barry in Milan and Frank Jordans in Berlin collaborated.
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