AstraZeneca’s Vaccine Safe; European Countries To Resume Vaccination

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) safety committee has declared AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as safe. The European medical regulator said the jab is “safe and effective”. The committee also concluded that the vaccine is not associated with an increase in the overall risk of thrombolytic events or blood clots. The World Health Organization (WHO) repeated that it was better to take the AstraZeneca vaccine than not.

The EMA’s chief Emer Cooke said that after an investigation the “committee has come to a clear scientific conclusion: this is a safe and effective vaccine. The committee said that the vaccine is not associated with an increase in the overall risk of thromboembolic events or blood clots.

However, the agency said it “cannot rule out definitively” a link to a rare clotting disorder.

The report comes after days of commotion around the shot that led to major European nations stopping its use. The safety committee report comes as a huge relief for the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Its been under cloud in Europe for safety reasons.

Subsequently, countries, like Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovenia, and Bulgaria, declared that they would resume vaccinations.

However, Norway and Sweden are still having some doubts. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health said it is aware of the EMA’s findings. The agency would release its own findings by end of next week.

Also Read: COVID-19: Sweden Latest Country To Stop Use Of AstraZeneca Vaccine