Germany halted use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine on Monday, the Ministry of Health announced in a statement, with Italy, France and Spain following later in the day. Several other EU countries have stopped using the vaccine due to the possibility of blood clots.
The Ministry of Health has announced that the use of the vaccine as a precautionary measure has been suspended on the advice of the national health regulator, the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI). According to the Ministry of Health, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will decide “whether and how the new information will affect the authorization of the vaccine” pending an investigation.
“Following new reports of thrombosis of the cerebral veins in connection with the vaccination in Germany and Europe, the PEI considers further investigations necessary,” the Ministry of Health announced.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn said “the decision is professional, not political”, following the advice of the PEI. Spahn said the risk of blood clots caused by the AstraZeneca jab is low, but that cannot be ruled out.
“The most important thing for trust is transparency,” Spahn said during a briefing.
EMA will hold special meeting later this week on vaccine safety
French President Emmanuel Macron has said France will suspend vaccine use pending a review of the EMA. The EMA said it would hold a special conference on Thursday to finalize the vaccine review.
“EMA currently considers that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine to prevent COVID-19, with the associated risk of hospitalization and death, outweigh the risks of side effects,” the EMA said in a statement on Monday. .
AstraZeneca suspensions across Europe, worldwide
In addition to Germany, Italy and France, other countries across Europe and worldwide have stopped using the vaccine due to possible coagulation risks. Last week, Denmark became the first country to suspend implementation, with Norway, Iceland and Bulgaria.
Non-European countries that need to discontinue the vaccine include Thailand and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Health regulators need to give clear messages about vaccine, virologist tells DW
Virologist and associate professor at Northumbria University in the UK, Sterghio Moschos, told DW on Monday that governments need to deliver clear messages about their decisions to suspend the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“It is very important that we give clear, concise and well-thought-out messages,” Moschos said, noting that the conspiracy theories and misinformation surrounding vaccines are present. “In that respect, I therefore support the decision of any legislator to stop, look and consider the data.”
“What we do know is that 17 million people received the vaccine and that 37 people developed these blood clots. This corresponds to. 0002% of the people who are vaccinated, who get a blood clot,” Moschos added. he will take the AstraZeneca vaccine. “immediately” if it is presented to him.
wd / msh (AP, dpa)