LONDON – The Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is safe for use, the European Medicines Agency said on Thursday after several countries, including Germany, France and Italy, had suspended it because of concerns about blood clots in some recipients.
The discovery came just two days after the regulator said on Tuesday that he had reviewed the new information and found that there was “no indication” that there was any connection between the AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clotting. He added that the benefits of the vaccine continue to outweigh the risks.
The long-awaited decision came at a time when the European Union is in the midst of a vaccine shortage and amid growing rivalry with the United States and Britain over the treatment of deliveries to the 27-nation bloc.
AstraZeneca said on Sunday that a review of the safety data of more than 17 million people who received the vaccine in the UK and the European Union showed no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots.
Implementation of the European Union’s vaccination has been hampered by the scarcity and before Thursday’s announcement, France and Italy said they would restart vaccinations with the AstraZeneca vaccine if the regulator decides there were no concerns about the vaccine.
At a separate press conference on Thursday, the World Health Organization’s regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge, said countries should continue to use the AstraZeneca vaccine for now.
“At the moment, we do not know whether some or all of the conditions were caused by the vaccine or other coincident factors,” said Kluge. “Right now, however, the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine far outweigh its risks – and its use must continue, to save lives.”
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Kluge said that gaining and maintaining public confidence was “crucial”.
“We need to renew confidence, if it is lost, to restore it – especially for AstraZeneca,” he said.
Kluge’s comments were echoed by the African Union, which recommended Thursday that countries continue to use the vaccine developed by the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company, which has not yet been authorized for use in the United States.
Africa has lagged behind in the richest parts of the world in vaccinations, with many countries on the continent using free AstraZeneca injections distributed by COVAX, a global scheme co-led by WHO to start immunization campaigns.
