Despite the resounding assurance by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine saying it has seen no evidence that the shot had caused clotting, more countries are dumping the vaccine or discontinuing the use of a particular batch suspected to be causing blood clots.
READ ALSO: Despite global concerns over AstraZeneca vaccine, Nigerian gov’t insists it’s safe
Some of the countries include:
- Germany
- France
- Portugal
- Netherland
- Ireland
- Denmark
- Norway
- Italy
- Indonesia
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Romania
- Iceland
- Austria
- Estonia
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
AstraZeneca has, however, said there is no cause for concern with its vaccine, which is jointly produced with the United Kingdom’s University of Oxford, and that there were fewer reported thrombosis cases in those who received the shot than in the general population.
Peter Drobac of Oxford University told Al Jazeera the AstraZeneca vaccine went through “rigorous clinical trials” and blood clots were not identified as a problem.
“The safety pause, I think it is certainly the prerogative of the regulators in these countries. However we have heard from the World Health Organization, the European Medicines Agency and others, that at this point the benefits of vaccination clearly outweigh the risks,” he added.
Follow the Neptune Prime channel on WhatsApp:
Do you have breaking news, interview request, opinion, suggestion, or want your event covered? Email us at neptuneprime2233@gmail.com
