AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine vials (COVID-19) during the first day of a massive vaccination of police and firefighters at the Wanda Metropolitan Stadium.
Marcos del Mazo | LightRocket | Getty Images
The World Health Organization said Wednesday that the implantation of the coronavirus vaccine should be continued using the AstraZeneca-Oxford University shot while a safety review is conducted.
The latest guidelines from the World Public Health Agency come after a number of European countries announced they would suspend the use of the shot for concern that it could be related to reported cases of blood clots in the region.
The WHO Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety has been reviewing available vaccine data. On Wednesday, the WHO issued a statement saying that “vaccination against COVID-19 will not reduce disease or death from other causes.”
“Thromboembolic events are known to occur frequently. Venous thromboembolism is the third most common cardiovascular disease worldwide,” he said.
He said that while it was routine for countries to report possible adverse events after vaccination, particularly in mass vaccination campaigns, “this does not necessarily mean that the events are related to the vaccination itself.”
However, he added, “it is good practice to investigate them. It also shows that the surveillance system works and that there are effective controls.”
The WHO is in regular contact with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and regulators around the world to obtain the latest information on the safety of the Covid-19 vaccine, he added.
The WHO said it would immediately communicate the findings to the public once its review was completed. “At this time, the WHO considers the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine to outweigh its risks and recommends that vaccinations be continued,” he added.
“A continuous process”
Sweden, Lithuania and Latvia became the last countries on Tuesday to suspend the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine due to concerns about blood clots, following in the footsteps of Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Ireland, among other nations. Europeans. More than a dozen European countries have temporarily stopped using the vaccine.
Emer Cooke, executive director of the EMA, said at a news conference Tuesday that a review of gun safety was “an ongoing process,” but said that in a mass vaccination program of millions of people it was not unexpected. receive some reports of adverse events.
The experts gathered by the EMA were tasked with deciding whether there was a causal link between the handful of adverse events related to blood clots and the vaccine.
“This requires a very thorough analysis of all the data,” Cooke said. “There are currently no indications that vaccination has caused these events,” he reiterated, adding that the crucial health benefits of the vaccination program, and the shooting of AstraZeneca, continued to outweigh the risks.
“Thousands of people die every day across the EU … these are very rare thromboembolic events or blood clots.” A conclusion to the EMA review is expected on Thursday.
Puzzled health experts
The strategy of these EU nations has baffled health experts and raised concerns that the measure could further damage confidence in the vaccine and curb an already slow vaccination program on the bloc, although many countries see an increase in infections due to coronavirus variants.
Some analysts have questioned whether the decision has a political dimension in the face of previous doubts about the data of AstraZeneca trials, the effectiveness in those over 65 (it has been shown in several studies that it is very effective in reducing cases of Covid-19, hospitalizations and deaths) and disputes over the supply of vaccines.
Not all European countries have stopped using the shot. Belgium, Poland and the Czech Republic have said they will continue to use the shot, saying the benefits outweigh the risks. Belgium went further, and its Health Minister said stopping the vaccination program would be “irresponsible”.
AstraZeneca has strongly defended its vaccine, saying in a statement on Sunday that the number of blood clots recorded after vaccination was lower than could be expected to occur naturally.