AstraZeneca announced further delays in vaccine delivery to the European Union

LONDON.– The pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca yesterday announced a further delay in shipments of its anti-Covid-19 vaccines to the European Union, a new blow to speed up vaccination, while health fears regarding this drug persist, defended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Anglo-Swedish company cited production problems and export restrictions to justify its delays.

Several countries have suspended the application of the drug AstraZeneca this week for fear of blood clots, although the WHO assured on Friday that there was no reason to stop using this vaccine against Covid-19, which has already caused more than 2.6 million deaths on the planet.

Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Bulgaria suspended AstraZenaca requests as a “precaution”, and this Saturday India has announced that it will conduct a further review of the side effects of this drug.

Norway announced today that has detected skin bleeding in some patients under the age of 50, but without establishing a direct cause with the vaccine.

Meanwhile, Irish health officials today recommended suspending use of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine as a “precaution”, following the Norwegians’ announcement.

Ireland’s vaccination commission recommends this measure, which is already in force in several European countries, in the name of the ‘precautionary principle’, said Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn it is a statement.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Friday urged adding severe allergies to the list of possible side effects of the vaccine.

However, European Union (EU) to meet vaccination targets this quarter despite AstraZeneca delivery delays, because Pfizer is producing faster than expectedthe bloc’s internal market commissioner, Thierry Breton, said today.

In an interview with Europe 1 radio, Breton said today that AstraZeneca’s delays are unacceptable, but that Brussels has no plans to take it to court at this time.

“The good news is that we won’t be late with our program in the first quarter anyway” because “Pfizer is producing more, a lot more than expected, and will give us more doses,” he added.

In this context, AstraZeneca announced today that it has conducted a review of people immunized with its Covid-19 vaccine and has found no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots..

The review covered more than 17 million people vaccinated in the European Union and the United Kingdom.

“A careful review of all the safety data available on more than 17 million people vaccinated in the European Union and the United Kingdom with the Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca has not shown an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis or thrombocytopenia, regardless of age, group, sex, batch or in a given country.“Says the statement.

The drugmaker said the company and European health authorities have done and are conducting additional testing and none of the new tests have proven to be a cause for concern.

There are also no confirmed issues with the quality of any of its lots of Covid-19 vaccines used in Europe and the rest of the world, the company said.

At the same time, the Piedmont region (north-eastern Italy) announced yesterday that it had resumed vaccination with the AstraZeneca immunizer against Covid-19, but throwing a batch, as a precaution, after a teacher vaccinated the day before passed away.

AFP, ANSA and DPA agencies

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