AstraZeneca Vaccine: Countries that have suspended vaccinations resume vaccination

The countries that had suspended vaccinations with AstraZeneca vaccine One after another, they start giving it again today, as European and British regulators have announced that the benefits outweigh any risks following reports of rare blood clots that have temporarily suspended immunization programs.

The end of these suspensions will be a test of public confidence, both in the vaccine itself and in drug regulators, whose findings are under the microscope, as the mutated strains of the virus spread and the global death toll – to 2 , 7 million right now – growing.

Indonesia has followed the example of Germany, France and other countries in the re-administration of vaccines after the suspension of vaccinations after reports of about 30 rare cases of blood clots in the brain after millions of vaccines that resulted in scientists and governments trying to identify if there is a connection between them.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has come to a clear conclusion, as it describes it, that the benefits of the vaccine in protecting people from death or coronavirus outweigh the potential risks.

However, EMA said the link between rare blood clots in the brain and the vaccine could not be ruled out and would continue to be closely monitored by the UK drug regulator MHRA.

“It is a safe and effective vaccine,” EMA director Emer Cook said in a statement yesterday. “If it was me, I would be vaccinated tomorrow.”

EMA said it was updating its vaccine guidelines to include a recommendation to patients about potential risks and information for healthcare professionals to help people identify symptoms they may need to seek medical help after. their vaccination.

Following EMA’s move, others have sought to boost confidence in the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is considered globally important for its relatively easy storage and transport and its low cost compared to the mRNA vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna.

“What we really need to focus on is that this is very reassuring. The procedures are working, the safety monitoring, which we all expect from our authorities, is being done, “Andrew Pollard, head of the Oxford Vaccine Group, told BBC radio after both regulators said vaccinations could be resumed after reports of blood clots. “We really need to keep monitoring safety, but in the end it is the virus we are fighting, not the vaccines.”

The University of Oxford is working with AstraZeneca on this vaccine.

Germany resumed administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine this morning, and French Prime Minister Jean-Castex said he would try to promote a corresponding resumption of vaccinations in the country by receiving the vaccine himself today.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said that this example will be followed by Italy, with his comments reflecting the climate in Cyprus, Latvia and Lithuania.

Spain will resume vaccinations on Wednesday, while Canada has also given its support to the vaccine.

The British MHRA is investigating five cases of blood clots reported among the 11 million vaccines given in Britain. He said he would investigate reports of cerebral vein thrombosis (ie, cerebral vein thrombosis, or CSVT) reported along with low platelet counts shortly after vaccination. However, the regulator said that the use of the vaccine should be continued, while an official said that the circulation in Britain will probably not stop even if it is finally proven that there is a connection.

The assessment of the pharmaceutical industry itself, which covers more than 17 million people who received the vaccine in the EU and Britain, found no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots.

The World Health Organization, which this week reaffirmed its support for the vaccine, a key element in COVAX’s vaccine-sharing program, now plans to update the evaluation of its own vaccine advisory committee.