Prime Minister Boris Johnson gives an update on the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic during a virtual press conference within 10 Downing Street on March 18, 2021 in London, England.
Tolga Akmen – WPA Pool | Getty Images
LONDON – UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to receive the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford on Friday, seeking to reassure the public that the vaccine is safe and effective.
Johnson, 56, urged others to get vaccinated against Covid-19, citing data from the UK’s independent drug regulator showing that the benefits outweigh the risks.
A flurry of countries around the world has halted the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine as a precautionary measure after reports of blood clots in some vaccinated people. Health experts strongly criticized the measure, citing the lack of data, while analysts expressed concern about the impact on vaccine absorption as the virus continues to spread.
UK and EU regulators said there was no evidence that the Covid vaccine caused blood clots. The World Health Organization also said that the benefits of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine outweigh the risks and recommended that vaccinations continue.
Speaking at a Downing Street conference on Thursday, Johnson said the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was safe, but “what is not safe is getting Covid, so it is so important that we all get our vaccines as soon as it is our turn to come . “
The UK leader himself was treated at the hospital by Covid-19 in April last year and spent days in an intensive care unit.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex is also due to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine on Friday.
Vaccine supplies
Germany, France, Italy and Spain are among some of the Europeans who say they will resume using the vaccine after the European drug regulator declares it safe and effective. Indonesia, which had already delayed the injection, said on Friday it had approved the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
Norway, Sweden and Denmark, however, said they would continue to stop using the vaccine while conducting their own independent analyzes.
The United Kingdom, which has not interrupted the launch of the Oxford-AstraZeneca injection, said delays in supplying the vaccine next month would not affect England’s roadmap for the blockade.
A health professional holds a box of AstraZeneneca vaccine at the Institute of Infectious Diseases in Bamrasnaradura, in the province of Nonthaburi, just outside Bangkok.
Chaiwat Subprasom | SOPA images | LightRocket via Getty Images
The National Health Service warned of a “significant reduction” in the weekly supply of Covid vaccines in England next month, after fewer doses than originally expected had arrived from India.
Johnson said there was “no change” in the government’s plan to ease restrictive public health measures, insisting that the roadmap was “on the right track” despite an unexpected drop in vaccine supplies.
To date, more than 4.2 million people have contracted Covid in the UK, with 126,163 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.