Coronavirus Update: WHO says no link between blood clots & vaccine
Let's begin with our top focus on the suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine in certain parts of Europe,
the World Health Organisation and the European drug regulator have now urged countries not to panic is several of them have halted the use of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine now, the whu Oh appealed to countries not to suspend vaccinations against a disease that has killed more than 2.7 million people worldwide. The w h o says there was no evidence that the incidents are caused by the AstraZeneca vaccine. It says that an advisory committee meeting on AstraZeneca would be held on Tuesday.
since our last press conference on Friday, several more countries have suspended the use of AstraZeneca vaccines as a precautionary measure, after reports of blood clots in people who had received the vaccine from two bikes produced in Europe. This does not necessarily mean these events are linked to vaccination. But it's routine practice to investigate them. And it shows that the surveillance system works and that effective controls are in place.
The top who scientists reiterated that there have been no documented deaths linked to COVID-19 vaccines.
You know, people do get thromboembolic events, binary embolisms, you know, and people die on a regular on every day. So, the question really is the linkage with the vaccine and this is why we need to look at all of the data, the experts are looking at the data. And so far we do not find an association between these events and the vaccine, because the rates at which these events have occurred in the vaccinated group are in fact less than what you would expect in the general population at the same time.
The US Air medicines regulators said it would meet on Thursday to analyse the situation and reaffirmed its view that the benefits of the AstraZeneca job far outweigh the risks. The ama has also said there was no indication that the events were caused by the vaccination and that the number of reported blood clots was no higher than seen in the general population. The drug regulator has said that a total of 30 cases of blood clotting had been reported among close to 5 million people vaccinated with the AstraZeneca shot in Europe. So let's quickly go across to the UN's correspondent Lucy Huff, who's joining us live from Brussels with more details. Lucy thank you for joining our newscast today. Now, the who of the European regulator have spoken out at a time in France, Germany, Spain, and Italy, three, four of the largest European countries are the latest to suspend the vaccines. At the same time experts are stressing that the suspension of this vaccine when cases are surging across Europe comes at a price would you agree?
Yeah, I mean, the timing of this was was pretty extraordinary at the same time that we had Europe's most populous countries, their largest economies that being Germany, France and Italy, laterally joined by Spain in also suspending the use of this Oxford AstraZeneca job, while possible severe side effects are investigated, although, as you say we then had a similar taneous statement from the US health regulator, the European Medicines Agency, thing that as far as they were concerned, and as far as the scientific evidence available to them, suggested the benefits of this job in terms of mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 in terms of hospitalizations and deaths far outweighed the risks associated with a small number of incidents of blood clotting.
Now this was a sort of chain of events that began early last week when Austria suspended the use of the Oxford AstraZeneca jab after two reports of blood clots severe cases of blood clotting, followed by Denmark which went a step further, which completely suspended the rollout instead of just suspending the rollout of a particular band for 14 day period. While indeed these these links were investigated. Over the weekend, we had other countries such as the Netherlands, Ireland followed and now these three major economies that this is despite the advice of the European Medicines Agency which says that there is no known link between the use of the accidental Zeneca jab and incidents of blood clotting or bleeding. And of course, we've had the comments of the wh o which is urging countries not to suspend their vaccine rollouts,
right, since you mentioned What the Who has to say about no possible link between vaccination and blood clots. regulators, of course, have tried to reassure the public about the safety of the Astros chart. How has the suspension impacted the vaccine rollout in various regions of Europe now?
Well, yeah, but who was was pretty clear on this yesterday, we had a statement for him its Director General tedros at them jeopardy. So saying that this was a virus that had affected some 2.7 million people who'd lost their lives to it, with the virus spreading around the world at a huge pace and that it was important that countries did not suspend their vaccine rollouts because of a small, limited isolated number of blood clotting cases. So the message was clear on that, we will have a meeting of the who today, who will be I think, looking to reassure people about the safety of the ultimate AstraZeneca jab. In terms of the EU's vaccine rollout. I mean, it has been moving at a slow pace, it has been beset with problems. Initially of delivery shortages of supply shortages because of manufacturing problems from all three vaccines authorised for use.
We then had that decision to restrict the Oxford AstraZeneca jab and the over 65 age group, amid fears of its safety amount from European countries because of a lack of data in the vaccines, clinical trials. But that was a decision that was quite quickly reversed by countries, such as Germany and France.
All of these things have done nothing to improve confidence in the AstraZeneca job amongst European citizens. And we are hearing reports that the job is now being turned down by people in those countries who are being offered the vaccine. So it's a bit of a perfect storm. And certainly this latest kind of twist in the tail, the number of European countries who've now temporarily suspended the job will do nothing to improve public confidence, and will of course further hold up the US vaccine rollout
loosely in its defence AstraZeneca has said that its safety review of inoculated people as shown no evidence of increased risk of blood clots. Having said that the who is also having its advisory committee meeting today, the AMA is supposed to meet on Thursday. How much will these meats help in addressing the public and governmental paranoia?
Well, it may help the situation. But what we're getting is a case of very mixed messaging. I mean, as I say, on the one hand, you had a number of countries and you know, Europe's biggest economies, its most populous countries, France and Germany amongst them announcing that they were suspending the vaccine. While indeed these checks and investigations were carried out.
Almost within the hour, you had a statement from the US health regulators saying that, as far as it was concerned, the benefits of the vaccine outweighed the risk that there was no proven link between incidence of thrombosis of blood clotting and connection with those who have recently received the job. And that was the message that was reiterated by AstraZeneca as well, of course carried out to a widespread trial of 1000s of people and said there was no known link. So it will be interesting to see what the message from the who is after it meets later on today. There will of course then be further checks announced by the European Medicines Agency.
But in the case of France, for example, this is very much a temporary suspension while it waits for more information from the European Medicines Agency, in Indeed, the AMA comes out on Thursday saying we are sure this vaccine is safe, then we may see some countries reverse these decisions.
But by that point, the damage to public confidence in the vaccine may be too late to rise.
But still I think a lot can be done once the AMA and the WHO meet and issue their respective statements.
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