The European Medicines Agency (EMA) issued a statement on Thursday stressing that the protection against Covid-19 provided by the AstraZeneca vaccine outweighs the risk of possible side effects. This announcement was made after Denmark, Norway and Iceland decided to suspend the use of this vaccine.
The Nordic decision involved a number of cases where the possible effects of vaccination on blood clot formation were suspected. EZA emphasizes that there is currently no evidence of such a link. Thrombus formation is not listed as a possible side effect of AstraZeneca.
“The ESA Safety Committee considers that the benefits of the vaccine still outweigh the risks and that the vaccine may continue to be used pending the investigation of thrombosis.” stated in the EZA statement.
A precautionary step
The Danish health authorities decided on Thursday to stop using the Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by AstraZeneca for two weeks to test concerns about the vaccine’s involvement in blood clots. A similar decision has been taken by Norway and Iceland. Italy and Austria, on the other hand, have suspended certain batches of the vaccine.
Denmark and Norway temporarily suspend the use of AstraZenecaUldis Ķezberis00:00 / 03:12
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Several patients have developed blood clots after receiving the vaccine, one person has died, but there is currently no evidence of a causal relationship between vaccination and blood clots.
The Danish Health Authority emphasizes that the Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by AstraZeneca is considered safe and tested, but that the decision to intensify the tests has been taken as a precaution.
The vaccine manufacturers also state that AstraZeneca has been thoroughly tested before being approved in the European Union and that no evidence of any health problems has been found.
30 out of five million
Concerns about the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine have also been raised in Austria, where a 49-year-old nurse died ten days after vaccination and another 35-year-old nurse developed serious health problems.
Austria and several other European Union countries (including Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia) after that one batch of AstraZeneca vaccine was temporarily suspended (serial number is ABV5300).
European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced on Wednesdaythat the initial examination shows that a batch of AstraZeneca vaccines used in Austria may not be responsible for the death of one nurse and the hospitalization of another nurse with pulmonary embolism (pulmonary artery blockage).
EZA reports that only 30 out of five million people in the European Union who have received AstraZeneca have experienced problems with blood clots. The number of such cases among vaccinated people is not higher than in the general population.
The vaccine is both safe and effective
Nevertheless, the Danish Health Authority has decided to suspend the use of AstraZeneca for 14 days pending further testing.
It is important to emphasize that we have not given up the AstraZeneca vaccine, but have temporarily stopped using it. We have good evidence that this vaccine is both safe and effective. However, we had to respond to reports of possible serious side effects from both Denmark and other European countries, ”said Siren Broström, Director of the Danish Health Authority.
In Denmark, more than 142,000 people have already received their first dose of AstraZeneca.
“We are currently running the largest and most important vaccination campaign in Danish history. We need all the vaccines we can get. Therefore, it was not easy to decide to temporarily suspend the use of one vaccine.
But precisely because we vaccinate so many people, we need to scrutinize the suspicion of possible serious side effects. We need to make sure it is safe before we continue to use the AstraZeneca vaccine, ”said Broström.
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