European countries pause AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine rollout – Everett Post

From ALLIE YANG, ABC News

(LONDON) – After reports of dangerous blood clots in some recipients, 10 European nations have suspended the introduction of the vaccine, including some of the largest: Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands.

Although this vaccine is not yet approved in the US, it has already been approved by dozen of countries, including many in Europe. On Tuesday, Europe’s leading drug regulator Emer Cooke backed off safety concerns, saying there was “no evidence that vaccination caused these conditions”.

ABC News foreign correspondent James Longman told ABC News’ Daily Start Here podcast that “Millions upon millions of people have taken the AstraZeneca vaccine in the UK” and that no major side effects have been reported.

AstraZeneca released a statement on Sunday that of the 17 million people vaccinated in the EU and the UK, “there is no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or thrombocytopenia in any given age group, gender or batch certain country. To date, 15 DVT events and 22 pulmonary embolism events have been reported among those treated with the vaccine in the EU and the UK. “

The company said there were only 15 cases of DVT and 22 cases of pulmonary embolism in the EU and the UK. 19 vaccines. “

“In terms of quality, there are also no confirmed issues related to any batch of our vaccine being used across Europe or the rest of the world,” the company said. “Additional tests have been and are being carried out by ourselves and independently of the European health authorities, and none of these retests has been a cause for concern.”

AstraZeneca stressed that it “is closely examining this problem, but the evidence available does not confirm that the vaccine is the cause. To overcome the pandemic, it is important that people are vaccinated when asked to do so. “

According to an EU study by Longman, one in 167,000 people who received the vaccine had blood clots. AstraZeneca said the risk could be even less.

“Whatever you believe, it’s still less than the number of people who get blood clots in the general population,” Longman said. “It’s definitely less than people dying from COVID-19. So there is really a lot of outrage, especially in the UK, about this event. “

The EU’s European Medicines Agency (EMA) said it was “working closely with the company [AstraZeneca], with blood disease experts and with other health authorities ”in an ongoing investigation of reported blood clots.

The World Health Organization also said: “There is no evidence of an association between the vaccine and the blood clots and that the vaccine can continue to be used while the investigation is ongoing.”

AstraZeneca was the vaccine that European countries ordered the most, Longman reported, also because it is mainly made in Europe. Pfizer and others are primarily made in the United States.

“AstraZeneca will say there is no evidence that our vaccines are not working properly,” Longman said. “If you look at the real test case, which is currently the UK, you will find that there is no evidence.”

While the UK and US have bet on fewer vaccine manufacturers, the European Union has ordered vaccines from many different companies to spread the risk in case one or more had problems.

“Great Britain and the USA [were] willing to take more risks when it comes to these things; Our risks pay off, ”said Longman.

Many countries in continental Europe have been relatively slow to adopt vaccines, especially when compared to neighbors such as the UK and Israel, which have high vaccination rates. Many European countries rely heavily on the AstraZeneca vaccine, but now those vaccinations are on hold.

“This is really a mess,” said Longman. “If you are in your twenties or thirties now and you find yourself on the continent, you might not get a vaccination until well after the summer.”

The break in the AstraZeneca rollout in 10 European countries could have a far greater impact worldwide.

“The AstraZeneca vaccine is the $ 3 vaccine. It’s the vaccine that will help the developing world, ”Longman said. “You need it urgently. There are parts of the world that are calling for this vaccine, and if the European Union continues to despise the alleged ineffectiveness of this particular vaccine, it will genuinely endanger vaccination programs for developing countries and the entire planet. “

There are also concerns that the hiatus will create further suspicions and doubts about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines in general, Longman said.

“Europe has long had a problem getting people on board with all kinds of vaccinations,” Longman said. “[I] Apparently, if the AstraZeneca vaccine had been used, there would have been no real world data in the UK to suggest that taking this particular vaccine had negative side effects. “

This report was published on ABC News’ daily news podcast, Start Here, March 16.