"Germany, France become latest countries to suspend AstraZeneca vaccine over blood clot fears"

" \n Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Ireland and the Netherlands have joined the\u00a0growing list of countries\u00a0that have suspended the use of the\u00a0coronavirus\u00a0vaccine developed by\u00a0AstraZeneca\u00a0and the University of Oxford over blood clot concerns. \n \n\n \n The Dutch government said 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 the shot as a precautionary step. \n \n\n \n On Monday, the German government also said it was suspending its use, with the vaccine regulator, the Paul Ehrlich Institute, calling for further investigations. The Italian medicines authority made a similar announcement on Monday afternoon and French President Emmanuel Macron also said the vaccine\u2019s use would be paused pending a verdict from the EU\u2019s regulator. \n \n\n \n Spain Health Minister Carolina Darias said Monday that the country will halt use of the shot for at least two weeks, Reuters reported, and Portugal later also suspended the vaccine. \n \n\n \n The World Health Organization has sought to downplay 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 nations to continue using the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. \n \n\n \n Despite this, a number of European countries have\u00a0already paused\u00a0the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. It has added to the woes of the region\u2019s\u00a0ailing vaccination campaign\u00a0at a time when Germany\u2019s public health agency has warned that a\u00a0third wave of coronavirus infections\u00a0has already begun. \n \n\n \n Thailand has also halted its planned deployment of the vaccine. \n \n\n \n The move to pause its use by Dutch and Irish officials came shortly after Norway\u2019s medicines agency\u00a0said\u00a0it had been notified of three health workers being treated in hospital for bleeding, blood clots and a low count of blood platelets after receiving the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. Norway has put its Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine program on hold. \n \n\n \n Geir Bukholm, director of the division of infection control and environmental health at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, said Norway\u2019s medicines agency would \u201cfollow up on these suspected side effects and take the necessary measures in this serious situation.\u201d \n \n\n \n \n \n\n \n Europe\u2019s drug regulator, the European Medicines Agency, has said there is no indication that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is causing blood clots, adding that it believes the vaccine\u2019s benefits \u201ccontinue to outweigh its risks.\u201d \n \n\n \n The EMA acknowledged some European countries had paused the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot but said inoculations may continue to be administered while an investigation of blood clot cases is ongoing. \n \n\n \n Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin told CNBC on Monday that he anticipated the pause would be temporary and the country was aiming to catch up quickly with its inoculation program. \n \n\n \n \u201cThere is no causal effect established or anything like that yet, but as a precautionary move in line with the precautionary principle and in an abundance of caution, our clinical advice was to pause the program whilst the EMA does a review of this,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is an unwelcome pause but nevertheless I think it\u2019s important that we take heed of the advice we have received.\u201d \n \n\n \n How has AstraZeneca responded? \n \n\n \n \u201cA careful review of all available safety data of more than 17 million people vaccinated in the European Union (EU) and UK with COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca has shown no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or thrombocytopenia, in any defined age group, gender, batch or in any particular country,\u201d AstraZeneca\u00a0said\u00a0in a statement Sunday. \n \n\n \n The most common side effects of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which does not contain the virus and cannot cause Covid, are typically mild or moderate and improve within a few days of vaccination. \n \n\n \n The pharmaceutical giant said that across the EU and U.K. there had been 15 events of deep vein thrombosis and 22 events of pulmonary embolism reported among those vaccinated. \n \n\n \n \u201cThis is much lower than would be expected to occur naturally in a general population of this size and is similar across other licensed COVID-19 vaccines,\u201d AstraZeneca said. \n \n\n \n What do the experts say? \n \n\n \n \u201cCovid definitely causes coagulation disorders and each of the vaccines prevents Covid disease, including more severe cases,\u201d said Stephen Evans, professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. \n \n\n \n \u201cTherefore, it is extremely likely that the benefit of the vaccine notably outweighs any risk for coagulation disorders and the vaccine prevents other consequences of Covid including deaths from other causes.\u201d \n \n\n \n Evans said it was \u201centirely reasonable\u201d to conduct studies into the vaccines and coagulation disorders, but added: \u201cIt seems a step too far in taking precautions that would stop people getting vaccines that would prevent disease.\u201d \n \n\n \n Many high-income countries \u2014 such as the U.K., France, Australia and Canada \u2014 have chosen to continue with their respective rollout of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. \n \n\n \n \u201cIf clear evidence of serious or life-threatening side-effects emerges that will have important consequences,\u201d Adam Finn, professor of pediatrics at the University of Bristol, said in a statement. \n \n\n \n \u201cHowever so far it hasn\u2019t and it\u2019s highly undesirable to disrupt a complex and urgent programme every time people develop illnesses after receiving vaccine that may be coincidental and not causally related. Making the right call in situations like this is not easy but having a steady hand on the tiller is probably what is needed most,\u201d Finn said. \n "

"Germany, France become latest countries to suspend AstraZeneca vaccine over blood clot fears"

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