Officials defend the shooting after the EMA and MHRA rulings

The British government and the country’s health experts have been quick to defend the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University after concerns about a possible link with blood clots.

On Wednesday, British health and vaccine regulators released a change of direction on who should receive the start. They now recommend that anyone under the age of 30 receive an alternative vaccine in the event that it can, in rare circumstances, cause a severe blood clot.

Following a safety review of the AstraZeneca vaccine, sparked by concerns about reports of rare blood clotting disorders in a small number of vaccinated people, both the UK and European drug regulators (MHRA and EMA , respectively) stressed that the benefits of the spike still outweighed the risks.

However, amid concerns that the vaccine’s reputation could be further damaged, experts have been quick to defend it, and a Twitter user commented that officials appeared to have switched to “limiting the vaccine.” damage “.

On Thursday, the UK health secretary stressed that the risk of a blood clot after receiving the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine is almost the same as on a long-haul flight. He said the security measures surrounding the vaccine were robust and allowed regulators to “detect this extremely rare event.”

With the chances of developing a blood clot, Matt Hancock He told BBC Breakfast: “The safety system we have around this vaccine is so sensitive that it can pick up events that are four in a million; they tell me it’s the equivalent risk of taking a long-haul flight.”

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has himself received a first shot of the vaccine, said “the best thing people should do is look at what the MHRA, our independent regulator, says: for we have them, that’s why they are independent.

“His advice to people is to keep going out there, get their punch, get their second punch,” he added Thursday.

There is growing concern that Wednesday’s announcement could cause hesitation in Britain, where the vaccination program has gone well so far, with more than 31.7 million adults receiving the first dose of vaccine. Bye now. The UK has been working through priority groups for a vaccine, with children under 50 (with no underlying health conditions) in line to make a vaccine.

England’s deputy deputy general manager Jonathan Van-Tam also tried to downplay concerns on Wednesday, saying reports of blood clots were “gone”. He also noted that “changes in the preference for vaccines are common and this is a correction of the course.”

“If you are sailing with a massive liner across the Atlantic, it is not really reasonable that you should not make at least one course correction during that trip,” he said at a news conference, adding that vaccines were maintained. under “very careful review.”

Andrew Freedman, a reader of infectious diseases at Cardiff University School of Medicine, was one of the experts who said the UK’s decision to restrict the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine was sensible.

“It sounds like a sensible decision based on the evidence we have so far of a likely causal link between the AZ vaccine and these rare thrombotic side effects that have been observed,” he told CNBC on Thursday. However, he noted that vaccination of the vaccine was now “clearly a concern.”

“It will be important to continue to emphasize the message that vaccination saves lives and has already saved thousands of lives in the UK,” he added.

Meanwhile, Andrew Pollard, professor of pediatric infection and immunity at Oxford University, who developed the shot along with AstraZeneca, said in a statement on Wednesday that “safety has been our priority throughout the development of the vaccine. … and we are reassured to see that security surveillance continues under strict control by regulators and public health authorities as the vaccine is rolled out around the world. “

Continental European countries are likely to have more difficulty convincing their citizens that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe, given the numerous doubts and disputes over the shot and supplies so far.

Following a second review of the shot, the European Medicines Agency also ruled Wednesday that the vaccine was safe, but said it found a “possible link” between the sting and very rare cases of blood clots. However, the EMA did not impose any age restrictions on recipients.

The agency’s chief executive, Emer Cooke, tried to reassure the public and noted that researchers were still trying to find out what had been causing a small number of rare but severe clots, including cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). .

The issue “clearly demonstrates one of the challenges posed by large-scale vaccination campaigns when millions of people receive these vaccines; very rare events can occur that were not identified during clinical trials,” he said.

EU leaders met Wednesday night but were unable to agree on a coordinated strategy for the AstraZeneca vaccine.

So far, four European countries have stopped using the AstraZeneca vaccine altogether, including Denmark and the Netherlands, while a number of others, including Germany, France and Spain, have imposed age restrictions on shooting.

Most cases of blood clots identified by regulators occurred in women under 60 years of age within two weeks of onset. However, officials are still studying specific risk factors that could have contributed to the phenomenon.

Unusual blood clotting with low platelets will be added as a “very rare” side effect to vaccine product information, the EMA added.