Top regulator ‘firmly convinced’ AstraZeneca vaccine is safe as much of Europe suspends its use

In the wake of multiple European countries suspending the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, the European Union’s drug agency said there is “no indication” that the vaccine causes blood clots.

Emer Cooke, executive director of the European Medicines Agency, said during a press conference on Tuesday that she was “firmly convinced” that the benefits of the vaccine “far outweigh” the health risks.

There have been about 30 cases of blood clots among 5 million people who have received the AstraZeneca shot. The EMA said the incidence of these events among people who have gotten the shot appears to be no higher than in the general population.

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Denmark was the first nation to suspend the AstraZeneca vaccine. Since then, other countries have followed, including the Netherlands, Norway, Iceland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Congo, Bulgaria, and Thailand.

Many of those countries are awaiting an EMA review of the evidence, which Cook said would be completed by Thursday.

Cooke expressed concern that suspending the use of the vaccine might make people more reluctant to get vaccinated.

“We are worried that there may be an effect on the trust of the vaccines, but our job is to make sure the products we authorize are safe,” she said.

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She also discounted the possibility that the blood clot cases were related to individual batches of the AstraZeneca vaccine, saying that “more batches are involved, and therefore, it is unlikely it is a batch-specific event.”

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