Health

EMA waits for ‘facts,’ says no sign AstraZeneca jab causes blood clots

The Hague, Mar 16 (efe-epa).- The European Medicines Agency on Tuesday refused to speculate about the results of an ongoing investigation into isolated cases of blood clots developing in some people who have received the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.

Several major EU countries, including France, Germany, Spain and Italy, have halted use of the vaccine pending inquiries into the reports of thrombosis. The EMA is due to publish its findings on Thursday.

At a press conference in Amsterdam, Emer Cooke said: “We need to have the facts first, we cannot come to a conclusion until we’ve done a thorough scientific analysis.”

“At present, there is no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions. They have not come up in the clinical trials and they are not listed as known or expected side events with this vaccine.

“The number of thromboembolic events overall in the vaccinated people seems not to be higher than that seen in the general population,” she said.

The EMA said Monday evening that “the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing Covid-19, with its associated risk of hospitalization and death, outweigh the risks of side effects.”

That statement has been echoed by the World Health Organisation, whose chief scientist, Soumya Swaminathan, recommended that countries continue to use the AstraZeneca vaccine.

“There is no reason to panic,” she said on Monday. EFE-EPA

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