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The African Union has said African countries should continue to use the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, as several countries in Europe and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have suspended its use due to blood clots.
Many countries in Africa rely on the AstraZeneca vaccine because it is cheaper and easier to store. As part of the Covax initiative, around 14.5 million doses have been delivered to African countries.
John Nkengasong, director of the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a press conference that “the benefits always outweigh the risks” and countries should “move forward.”
WHO Africa Director Matshidiso Moeti told a press briefing on Thursday that he encouraged countries “to continue their immunization campaigns and not take a break, because we are in a race against time”.
“The more people are protected, the less chance there is that mutations will produce more dangerous variants of the virus,” he said.
Meanwhile, the European Medicines Agency said the AstraZeneca vaccine is “safe and effective” and that its benefits outweigh the risks.
The EU medicines regulator has conducted a review after 13 European countries suspended the vaccine.
He said the vaccine was not associated with higher risks of clots.
Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca insists the jab is safe and that “no evidence” exists of a higher risk of blood clots.
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