London: Europe’s drug regulator says it is “firmly convinced” the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine far outweigh any risks,as it attempts to head off an unproven and highly damaging suspicion that the jab may cause blood clots.
European Medicines Agency executive director Emer Cooke on Tuesday took a swipe at thegrowing list of countries suspending use of the vaccine,noting thousands of people were still dying every day from COVID-19.
Cooke,whose agency approved the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab for use across the European Union,stressed there was still no evidence that it caused clotting and feared the speculation would damage crucial public confidence.
“We are worried that there may be an effect on the trust in the vaccines,” she said.
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Germany,France,Italy,Bulgaria,the Netherlands,Spain,Sweden,Denmark,Norway,Iceland and Ireland have paused the AstraZeneca rollout while the EMA examines reports of blood clots in a very small number of recently inoculated people.
Asked why the countries had ignored the EMA’s assurances that the vaccine was safe,Cooke replied:“It is the countries’ prerogative to do so. It is our responsibility to focus on the science associated with these risks and whether there is scientific evidence to show that they are causally related to the vaccines,and that’s what we are doing.”
The EMA is investigating the cases and any potential link to the AstraZeneca vaccine and will announce its final conclusion on Thursday. However,Cooke’s strong statement on Tuesday suggests the regulator’s views are unlikely to change over the next 48 hours.
Cooke said as of March 10 there were just 30 suspected cases among 5 million people vaccinated.