News
Janelle De Souza
There has been no change in plans to vaccinate TT people in the face of reports of blood clots in people who received the AstraZeneca vaccine in Europe, said the technical director of epidemiology, Dr. Avery Hinds.
That’s because several European and Asian countries, including Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, have suspended their AstraZeneca vaccination campaigns because of reports of rare blood clotting disorders in some who received the vaccine.
In response to a question at the ministry’s virtual health conference on Saturday, Hinds referred to a statement by the World Health Organization (WHO) that said that WHO was aware that some European Union countries had suspended a specific batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine , but the action was a precaution, while an investigation into the reports has been completed.
The WHO Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety, which reviews all concerns about the safety of the covid vaccine19, was investigating and, as soon as it obtained a full understanding of any recommendation changes, the organization would report to the public immediately. The European Medicines Agency’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee said the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks, so they recommend that vaccination be continued.
Hinds said vaccination against covid19 did not reduce the risk of other diseases, illnesses or medical conditions. Therefore, deaths due to other things would continue to happen even if the person were vaccinated.
“So, even if you can have an effect immediately after or shortly after having a vaccine, it does not mean that it is caused by the vaccine.
“So at this point, pending the WHO’s new position, none of the recommendations regarding who should be vaccinated will have changed.”
Dr. Joanne Paul, head of the Pediatric Emergency Department at the Medical Science Complex Eric Williams, added that clinical immunologist Dr. Michele Monteil said that about 50 million people received the AstraZeneca vaccine and there have been negative effects in only a few cases. She therefore strongly recommended the vaccine for the TT population.
Paul said that if an individual contracted covid19, immunity can last from three to six months before its effectiveness decreases, but immunity through the vaccine can last from six months to a year.
So, even if a person was fit and healthy and possibly had only mild symptoms, she advised them to get the vaccine.
“It is not just about the individual. It’s about herd immunity. The more we vaccinate, the more collective immunity we can give. “
Meanwhile, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (Carpha) is encouraging countries to proceed with the mass vaccination of their population, as this would fight the disease and contribute to the eventual end of the pandemic.
Carpha’s release on Friday said: “This was done as a precautionary measure while a full investigation is being conducted into the reports. At the moment, it is not possible to determine whether there is a link between the vaccine and the disorders.
“Adverse reactions that happen after immunization with any vaccine need to be fully investigated to rule out several factors, for example, concomitant illnesses, disease progression and batch evaluation, before a final decision is made by health authorities.”
Carpha’s statement also explained that the WHO advisory committee was carefully evaluating reports on the AstraZeneca vaccine. He also pointed out that the vaccine used in the Caribbean is not the same version or batch as in Europe.
He added that variants are part of the normal virus cycle and that more variants appear more frequently as more individuals become infected.
“Cutting transmission chains through preventive measures (wearing masks, washing hands, social distance, avoiding crowds, etc.) and the application of vaccines should be the main objective in this phase of the pandemic.”