Covid vaccinations are continuing around the world, and are the key to resuming normal life, easing lockdown restrictions and preventing further deaths. There are a number of vaccinations in circulation, but concerns have been mounting over the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine – with several cases of blood clots reported.
Britain’s medicines regulator – the MHRA – has said there had been five cases of a rare type of blood clot in the brain, in the 11 million given AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine.
However, the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) added it found the benefits of receiving the vaccine outweighed any possible risks.
In total five men in the UK have had an “extremely rare” blood clot problem after they received the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine.
However, no causal link between the vaccine and blood clots has been established, the medicines regulator has said.
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The men, aged 19 to 59, have experienced a specific type of blood clot in the brain combined with low blood platelet count. One of the five has since died.
There are no details yet on whether any of the five men had underlying health conditions.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it was looking at the reports but stressed the events were “extremely rare” and there was a possibility they could have been caused by Covid itself.
The MHRA said the cases represented a less than one-in-a-million chance of suffering this type of clot among those who have been vaccinated, while the risk of dying from Covid aged 40 to 49 is one in 1,000.
Is the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine safe?
Concerns about reports of blood clots, along with low platelet levels, have led some European countries, including Germany, to pause the rollout of the shot.
Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said the use of the vaccine should continue while five reports were investigated, and one official said that the rollout would likely continue even if a link was proved.
June Raine, MHRA Chief Executive, referring to AstraZeneca and Pfizer shots said: “There is no evidence that blood clots in veins is occurring more than would be expected in the absence of vaccination, for either vaccine.”
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Now The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has said the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab is a “safe and effective vaccine”.
The EMA executive director Emer Cooke announced this news at a press conference today.
The EMA said the benefits of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine “outweigh the possible risks”.
However, the European regulator said it “cannot rule out definitively” a link between “a small number of cases of rare and unusual but very serious blood clotting disorders” and the vaccine, though investigations were ongoing.
Ms Cooke told a press briefing: “The committee has come to a clear scientific conclusion.
“This is a safe and effective vaccine. Its benefits in protecting people from Covid-19, with the associated risks of death and hospitalisation, outweigh the possible risks.
“The committee also concluded that the vaccine is not associated with an increase in the overall risk of thromboembolic events, or blood clots.”
The EMA said the committee had recommended “raising awareness” of possible risks associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine and ensuring they are included in the product information.
Ms Cooke said: “During the investigation and review, we began to see a small number of cases of rare and unusual, but very serious, clotting disorders, and this then triggered a more focused review.
“Based on the evidence available, and after days of in-depth analysis of lab results, clinical reports, autopsy reports and further information from the clinical trials, we still cannot rule out definitively a link between these cases and the vaccine.
“What the committee has therefore recommended is to raise awareness of these possible risks, making sure that they are included in the product information.
“Drawing attention to these possible rare conditions and providing information to health care professionals and vaccinated people will help to spot and mitigate any possible side effects.”
Source: Daily Express
