AstraZeneca R&D Molndal
Geneva: In the wake of some countries in the European Union temporarily suspending use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as a precautionary measure based on reports of rare blood coagulation disorders in persons who had received the vaccine, the World Health Organisation today said it considered the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine “outweigh its risks and recommends that vaccinations continue”.
The WHO asserted that vaccination against COVID-19 will not reduce illness or deaths from other causes. “Thromboembolic events are known to occur frequently. Venous thromboembolism is the third most common cardiovascular disease globally,” it said. While claiming that in extensive vaccination campaigns, it is routine for countries to signal potential adverse events following immunization, it asserted that this” does not necessarily mean that the events are linked to vaccination itself…” It though added that “it is good practice to investigate them. It also shows that the surveillance system works and that effective controls are in place”.
While referring to other countries in the EU that having considered the same information, have decided to continue using the vaccine in their immunization programmes, the WHO said it was in regular contact with the European Medicines Agency and regulators around the world for the latest information on COVID-19 vaccine safety.
“The WHO Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety is carefully assessing the latest available safety data for the AstraZeneca vaccine. Once that review is completed, WHO will immediately communicate the findings to the public,” it stated.
The WHO statement today follows a similar assessment by European Medicines Agency’s safety committee which on Tuesday 16 March, said it was making progress in its detailed evaluation of cases of blood clots, some with unusual features such as low numbers of platelets, in recipients of COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca.
“As previously stated, while its investigation is ongoing, EMA currently remains of the view that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing COVID-19, with its associated risk of hospitalisation and death, outweigh the risks of side effects,” it had stated on March 16, 2021.
It may be mentioned that COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca is a vaccine for preventing coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) disease in people aged 18 years and older. It is made up of another virus (of the adenovirus family) that has been modified to contain the gene for making a protein from SARS-CoV-2. It does not contain the virus itself and cannot cause COVID-19. This medicine is under additional monitoring, meaning that it is monitored even more intensively than other medicines and has received a conditional marketing authorisation. This was granted in the interest of public health because the medicine addresses an unmet medical need and the benefit of immediate availability outweighs the risk from less comprehensive data than normally required.
– global bihari bureau
