London Sweden on Tuesday became the latest member of a growing list of countries that have suspended the use of the coronavirus vaccine Oxford-AstraZeneca. More than a dozen countries, most of them in Europe, have temporarily stopped using the vaccine as a precaution after a small number of people developed blood clots after being given the chance.
But experts in the UK and elsewhere in Europe call it a disaster for the continent’s already delayed vaccination. COVID-19 infections are again spreading exponentially in some parts of Europe, causing even new nationwide closures.
UK drug regulators and managers of AstraZeneca insist there is no link between the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and a higher incidence of blood clots.
The Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company that worked with the prestigious university to manufacture the drug, said a survey of 17 million people in the UK and Europe who received the vaccine found that less than 40 blood clots were developing – “even lower than you would expect to find in the general population,” AstraZeneca said.
The incidence of coagulation is similar to the observation of all vaccines, CBS News found, including the Moderna and Pfizer formulas currently used in the US.
On 11 March, Denmark, Iceland and Norway were among the first to discontinue use of the vaccine developed by Oxford University. The next day, Thailand suddenly braked the vaccine before rolling it out. The decision was reversed on Tuesday when the Thai prime minister received his first dose of vaccine and asked his fellow Thais to do the same.
Bulgaria, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Spain have also decided to suspend the use of the vaccine, with some saying they would at least wait until the European Medicines Agency – the EU’s pharmaceutical regulator – gives new guidelines. about the vaccine he approved for weeks. ago. The agency’s expert panel met on Tuesday to review data on blood clots.
Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Luxembourg have suspended the use of at least one group of AstraZeneca vaccines delivered to different countries.
“No evidence”
The manufacturer of the drug was adamant that there were no data that could suggest the link between the vaccine and serious side effects, and several independent health authorities supported the view.
The European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization both said last week that there was no evidence that the drug was causing blood clots.
“An analysis of our safety data from more than 10 million records showed no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis in any defined age group, gender, group or in a specific country,” a spokesman for AstraZeneca said. “In fact, the observed number of these types of events is significantly lower than those vaccinated than would be expected among the general population.”
European Medicines Agency officials stressed last week that “there is currently no indication that vaccination is causing these conditions”, and “the benefits of the vaccine still outweigh the risks and the vaccine can still be administered.”
On Monday, however, German officials said the pan-EU agency was expected to decide later in the week “whether and how the new information will affect the vaccine’s authorization.”
Britain’s pharmaceutical regulator reiterated support for the vaccine, which has been widely used in the UK for weeks on Monday.
Dr. Phil Bryan, head of vaccine safety at the British Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), said people “still have to fetch their COVID-19 vaccine if they are asked to do so.”
“We review reports carefully, but given the large number [AstraZeneca] doses administered, and the frequency at which blood clots can occur naturally, the available evidence does not indicate that the vaccine is the cause, ‘he told the BBC.
Even the countries that have stopped using the vaccine in Europe have said there is no evidence of blood clots. cause by the AstraZeneca shot – only that it occurred after it was administered.
Steve Parsons / Pool / REUTERS
Oxford Vaccine Group chief Andrew Pollard said actual data from the UK’s mass vaccination program recently showed a 94% drop in hospital admissions for those who received the Oxford vaccine – even more impressive figures than with the Pfizer formula.
‘We had no hospitalizations or deaths [from COVID] in the individuals vaccinated with the vaccine, “Pollard said. The real evidence therefore confirms in real life what we saw in the clinical trials – it absolutely exceeded the expectations of the trials. ‘
US approval and PR issues
The United States has stockpiled tens of millions of doses of the vaccine, but AstraZeneca has not yet applied to the Food and Drug Administration for medical emergencies, pending the results of U.S. clinical trials. A manager at the company told CBSN on March 5 that AstraZeneca had hoped to apply for the authorization in the next few weeks.
Last year, the Trump administration pledged nearly $ 1.2 billion to AstraZeneca to help develop the vaccine at Oxford University in exchange for 300 million doses.
The Oxford shot was easier and cheaper to manufacture and distribute than the other vaccines already approved in the US, and is considered not only in America but also around the world as the leading candidate for vaccination programs.
More than 70 countries worldwide used it until last week.
The recent security crises are just the latest in a series advertising signs for the vaccine.
With trial data showing the efficacy that does not come with the Pfizer BioNtech and Moderna vaccines, some people in Germany and other countries were reluctant to take a ‘second class’. The government also approved its use for people over 65, citing a lack of specific trial data, but the decision was reversed and German officials were among critics of the cessation of vaccination programs in other European countries. week.
South Africa also temporarily suspended the vaccine after it was found in a small clinical trial that it could not be adequately protected against infection with the COVID-19 variant that swept through the country.