Germany, France and Italy have also suspended application of the Oxford and AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine

France and Italy have suspended vaccination with AstraZeneca as a precaution, hours later, Germany reported a similar decision following recent cases of thrombosis in Europe.

The French President, Emmanuel Macron, announced that France would temporarily suspend the use of the vaccine of the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company, pending an opinion Tuesday from the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

“We are suspending it until tomorrow afternoon”, he said during a joint conference with the president of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, with whom he held the XXVI bilateral summit between the two countries in the French city of Montauban.

Macron said the decision was taken on a recommendation and in conjunction with the French health authorities.

For its part, Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) also suspended the injection as a “precaution” and clarified that the measure was taken “as a precaution and temporarily throughout the territory”, pending the decision of the EMA. Last week, the AIFA had already suspended the inoculation of a batch of this vaccine, after the death of a soldier and a police officer in Sicily (south), on which the Italian justice is investigating.

Earlier, Germany has suspended the use of the vaccine against the covid-19 of the Anglo-Swedish laboratory “as a preventive measure” as announced by the Ministry of Health.

The institute Paul-Ehrlich Medical, which advises the government, “Considers that additional examinations (are) necessary”, following cases of blood clots in people vaccinated in Europe.

This decision took place “After new information on cerebral venous thrombosis linked to vaccination in Germany and Europe”, according to the same source. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) “He will decide whether these new findings (of these side effects) will affect the authorization of the vaccine.”added the spokesperson.

CASES UNDER THE MAGNIFIER

It’s been a week since several countries have suspended inoculation with AstraZeneca after checking for serious blood problems in some vaccinees. Authorities find out whether there is a cause and effect relationship, something that the pharmacist ruled out Sunday.

Austria was the first, by suspending a batch of vaccine on March 8 due to the death of a nurse who had just received a dose of AstraZeneca. The 49-year-old woman died of poor blood clotting.

Later, other countries, including Italy, suspended some isolated lots. Many The Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Norway and Iceland) have gone further and have stopped all AstraZeneca vaccines, followed by Holland e Ireland, on Sunday.

Norwegian health authorities reported on Saturday the hospitalization of three nursing staff with thrombocytopenia (abnormally low number of platelets in the blood), bleeding Yes blood clots One of them, a woman under 50 who was “in good health” died on Sunday following a cerebral hemorrhage, health authorities said. Another health worker in his thirties died on Friday in the Nordic country, ten days after receiving the same vaccine.

In Denmark the authorities have indicated that a 60-year-old woman who died of blood clotting problems after receiving the vaccine had “Unusual symptoms”.

WHAT THE EMA AND WHO ARE SAYING

The EMA Safety Committee (PRAC) concluded that, for now, “There is no indication that the vaccination caused these conditions, which are not listed as side effects of this vaccine,” although he has launched an investigation, as have state agencies in several European countries.

Friday, The World Health Organization (WHO) assured that there was no “reason not to use” this vaccine.

For its part, AstraZeneca said there was “no evidence” that its vaccine causes an increased risk of blood clots. The company said it had carried out “a thorough review” of the data available on those who received the vaccine in the UK and the EU.

“Some 17 million people in the EU and UK have already received our vaccine and the number of reported clot cases in this group is lower than the average one would expect in the general population “The pharmacist explained in a statement signed by his chief medical officer, Ann Taylor.

The vaccine AstraZeneca is one of three used in Europe, while a fourth, of Johnson & johnson, has already received approval from European authorities and will be released in the coming weeks.

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