COVID-19: Italy, France waiting on EU regulator’s nod to resume AstraZeneca vaccine rollout
Germany, Italy and France say they are waiting on an investigation by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to decide if they will resume administering the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
Several European countries have suspended use of the vaccine after reports of blood clotting in some recipients.
AstraZeneca had said there was no direct link between the vaccine and the reports of blood clots (deep vein thrombosis).
In a statement on Sunday, AstraZeneca noted that a review of 17 million recipients of the vaccine showed no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots.
The EMA had also said on Tuesday that it was still “firmly convinced” of the benefits of the AstraZeneca shots.
“At present there is no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions,” Emer Cooke, EMA head, said.
“We are still firmly convinced that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing COVID-19 with its associated risk of hospitalisation and death outweigh the risk of these side effects.”
In a joint statement later on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said the EMA’s comments were “encouraging”.
The agency is expected to release its findings on Thursday.
More than 10 countries — including Spain, Latvia, and Ireland — have also suspended use of the vaccine.
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