Germany has suspended application of Oxford and AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine

Germany on Monday stopped the use of the vaccine against the coronavirus of AstraZeneca after reporting incidents of blood clotting in Europe and saying they needed a closer look.

“After new reports of vaccine-linked cerebral thrombosis in Germany and Europe, Prince Edward Island says more research is neededThe German Ministry of Health said, referring to a recommendation from the national vaccine authority, the Paul Ehrlich Institute.

“The European Medicines Agency EMA to decide if new findings will affect vaccine approval and how they will do it, ”he added.

On Tuesday, the Norwegian authorities announced the death of a health worker hospitalized two days ago for thrombosis after receiving the first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine.

This is a woman under 50, without any harm, who had been vaccinated a week before and presented an “unusual” clinical picture, as did two other health workers, all admitted at the week. -end last at Oslo University Hospital. “They have a very rare combination of low platelets, thrombi in large and small blood vessels, and bleeding. Other cases with similar symptoms have appeared in various European countries, ”Steinar Madsen, director of the Norwegian Medicines Agency, told a press conference.

Norwegian health authorities are currently investigating whether there is a direct relationship between the vaccine and the three cases, which Madsen says have common characteristics.

Norway temporarily suspended last Thursday as a preventive measure applying this vaccine a few hours after it has been done Denmark, who recorded a death in a 60-year-old woman.

This decision was subsequently joined by Iceland, Ireland, Bulgaria and the NetherlandsWhile other countries, such as Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Luxembourg, had withdrawn a particular batch of the vaccine a few days earlier when cases of thrombosis were detected.

The EMA recommended last week to continue administering the vaccine, considering that “the benefits of the vaccine continue to outweigh its risks”. Although the investigation is still ongoing, the EMA Safety Committee (PRAC) has concluded that, at this time, “there is no indication that the vaccination caused these conditions, which are not listed as effects. side effects of this vaccine “.

AstraZeneca reported that an analysis of its safety data covering reported cases of over 17 million doses of vaccines given showed no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis or thrombocytopenia, with low platelet counts.

“In fact, the reported number of such events for the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is no greater than the number that would have occurred naturally in the unvaccinated population,” a company spokesperson said. Such trends or patterns were also not seen in clinical trials of the vaccine, he added.

(With information from AFP and EFE)

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