Countries resuming use of AstraZeneca vaccine following EMA decision
vaccination
19 Mar 2021
/ 11:36
Following the safety backing for the AstraZeneca vaccine from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) most countries will resume administrating the jabs.
After great concern in Europe regarding blood clotting, several countries suspended use of the vaccine until EMA launched a review and then gave its decision. The medicines regulator announced that it had not found that the vaccine was associated with an increase in the overall risk of blood clots and the vast majority of countries will resume its use from today.
EMA AstraZeneca vaccine review
The EMA safety committee, PRAC, concluded its preliminary review of blood clotting incidents in people receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine on 18 March.
The committee confirmed the following:
- The benefits of the vaccine against the ongoing COVID-19 threat (which can lead to clotting problems which can possibly be fatal) continue to outweigh the risks of unwanted side effects.
- It had not found that the vaccine was associated with an increase in the overall risk of blood clots.
- There is no indication of problems related to specific batches or production locations.
However, it did uncover a small number of cases of rare and unusual but very serious clotting disorders and low platelet counts, including unusual cases of clotting in the blood vessels that drain blood from the brain (CVST).
"These are rare cases - approximately 20 million people in the UK and the EEA had received the vaccination since 16 March and EMA has examined only 7 cases of blood clotting in multiple blood vessels (disseminated intravascular coagulation - DIC) and 18 cases of CVST. A causal link with the vaccination has not been proved but cannot be ruled out and is being investigated."
EMA AstraZeneca vaccine review
The EMA safety committee, PRAC, concluded its preliminary review of blood clotting incidents in people receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine on 18 March.
The committee confirmed the following:
- The benefits of the vaccine against the ongoing COVID-19 threat (which can lead to clotting problems which can possibly be fatal) continue to outweigh the risks of unwanted side effects.
- It had not found that the vaccine was associated with an increase in the overall risk of blood clots.
- There is no indication of problems related to specific batches or production locations.
However, it did uncover a small number of cases of rare and unusual but very serious clotting disorders and low platelet counts, including unusual cases of clotting in the blood vessels that drain blood from the brain (CVST).
"These are rare cases - approximately 20 million people in the UK and the EEA had received the vaccination since 16 March and EMA has examined only 7 cases of blood clotting in multiple blood vessels (disseminated intravascular coagulation - DIC) and 18 cases of CVST. A causal link with the vaccination has not been proved but cannot be ruled out and is being investigated."
