According to European medicine regulatory, there is no specific indication regarding the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine triggering the risk of blood clotting. As per the latest reports, the rate of infection amongst the vaccinated population is not going beyond that of the general population. The news arrives after nations such as Norway and Denmark have already announced a ban on the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine usage.
The announcement of the ban comes right after there were reports of a few people developing blot clotting post-vaccination. Besides, reports from Italy suggest that a 50-year old man lost his life after a sudden DVT case (Deep Vein Thrombosis) immediately after undergoing vaccination.
As per EMA (European Medicines Agency) reports on Thursday, March 12, 2021, there is still no confirmation that the vaccine leads to the conclusion. The Agency clearly states that all of the incidents may not be the effects of the vaccine till further research proves the same. The conditions that the patients reported were not the probable side effects of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine.
The Agency also clarifies that the benefits of the Oxford vaccines still outweigh the probable risks. Therefore, it is very safe to continue with the vaccination process using the exact dosage. However, the research to find out the root cause of the thromboembolic events is continuing simultaneously. Among the 5 million people who have undergone vaccination, there are 30 cases of probable side effects.
Disagreements regarding side effects of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine
On the other hand, AstraZeneca’s spokesperson denies all rumors stating that the safety tests were stringent before the vaccine came to the market. Besides, the company claims that the safety and efficacy standards of drug approval are very stringent. Therefore, there is no way that such details can go amiss during the testing stages.
The MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency of UK confirm that there is no proof suggesting that the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine can trigger severe issues. Therefore, people must have faith and go through the vaccination process as per schedule.
The development of blood clots is a natural process and may take place with or without vaccination. Phil Bryan of MHRA clears the air further, stating that over 11 million jobs have already been given to people from all across the country.
The temporary ban on the vaccine is proving to be a major setback for European vaccination campaigns. Moreover, the previous delay in drug delivery was already a problem, and now the ban is bringing life to a still.
However, we saw a ray of hope when on March 13, 2021, the EMA announces the approval of another vaccine from Johnson & Johnson (J&J). According to Ursula von der Leyen, President Commission of EU, more effective and safer vaccines are on the way. On the other hand, reports are suggesting that the delivery of the J&J vaccine will not happen before April.
Additional vaccines are on the way already.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine news comes just a day after the announcement regarding the Novavax vaccine. The latter is 96% and 86% effective against the original and British covid strain, respectively, as per experts. Besides, Novavax may apply for entry approval in the UK, too. However, that will only happen in the latter part of 2021, as per the latest media reports.
As mentioned earlier, countries including Denmark, Iceland, and Norway have issued a temporary ban on the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine. Moreover, Austria and Italy seem to be following the others too. They are banning a few drug batches as part of preventive measures.
Along with Austria, other countries also seem to be against the same vaccine batch. This group of nations includes Estonia, Luxembourg, Lithuania, and Latvia. On the other hand, Romania is following the footsteps of Italy. They are also banning over 4000 doses of the vaccine, same as the latter.
In an official statement, the EMA states that Denmark’s decision is part of their precautionary steps. However, research is going on to prove the root cause of the blood clotting reports.
This includes the case of a Dutch person who has lost his life too. Italy also states that they are trying to initiate precautionary steps. However, the Italian government clarifies that there is no evidence against the vaccine as yet.
The reason for Austria’s decision to ban the vaccine temporarily is the death of a woman ten days post-vaccination. The reason for death was significant coagulation of blood once again. The Austrian batch of vaccines consists of over a million doses called ABV5300. The same was also part of the vaccination process of 17 other European nations. Norway says that they want to support the decision of Denmark till further research reports are out.
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