France, Germany, Spain & Italy temporarily halt rollout of AstraZeneca's COVID-1
France, Germany, Spain and Italy have become the latest European nations to temporarily halt the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine over blood clot concerns on March 15, 2021.
France, Germany, Spain and Italy have become the latest European nations to temporarily halt the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine over blood clot concerns on March 15, 2021.
The move comes after other European nations- Denmark, Norway and Iceland temporarily suspended the use of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine on March 11, 2021 due to concerns about patients developing blood clots post the vaccine jab.
The move was undertaken despite AstraZeneca and Europe's medicines watchdog insistence that the vaccine was safe.
Key Details
•Spain's Health Minister Carolina Darias said that the nation will stop the vaccine rollout for two weeks. Darias said in a nationalised televised address that it was a temporary precautionary suspension till the risks are evaluated by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
•German health minister Jens Spahn also announced on March 15 that the country would pause vaccinations as a precaution.
•France and Italy also temporarily suspended their rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine, pending review by the EU's medicines regulator, the EMA.
•French President Emmanuel Macron said that the nation has decided to suspend the use of AstraZeneca's vaccine as a precautionary measure and is hoping to resume it quickly if the EMA's allows it.
•The suspensions come as the third wave of coronavirus infections loom over the continent.
WHO, EMA, AstraZeneca defend the COVID-19 vaccine
•The temporary suspensions have been announced despite EU's medicines regulator reiterating that the countries should continue their AstraZeneca vaccine rollout.
•The World Health Organisation, the EMA and AstraZeneca have repeatedly stated that there is no evidence of a link between the vaccine and blood clotting and that the rollouts should continue while the reports are being investigated.
•The WHO said in a statement that as of now, there is no evidence that the incidents are caused by the vaccine and it is important that vaccination campaigns continue so that we can save lives and stem severe disease from the virus.
•The European Medicines Agency also asked countries to continue their vaccine rollouts, stating that the benefits of the vaccinations outweigh potential risks.
Read More: No evidence of increased risk of blood clots from vaccine: AstraZeneca
Background
Austria had suspended the use of a batch of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine on March 8, 2021 after a nurse died of "severe blood coagulation problems" days after receiving the vaccine.
Following this many countries including Denmark, Norway, Iceland, the Netherlands, Thailand, Ireland temporarily suspended the use of AstraZeneca's vaccine over fears of side effects like blood clots after vaccination.
The United Kingdom, in the meanwhile, is continuing with its rollout and over 11 million have been vaccinated in the nation with the AstraZeneca vaccine.
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