UK Confirms Safety and Efficiency of AstraZeneca Vaccine Amid Blood Clot Fears

The World Health Organization (WHO) said there was no reason to stop using it.

The British government has defended the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine and confirmed that it will continue using it in the country’s vaccination campaign, following its suspension by a number of European countries.

In a press statement, the spokesperson for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, “we have clearly stated that it is safe and effective, and when people are asked to come forward to receive the vaccine, they should do so with confidence”.

“In fact, we are starting to see the results of the vaccination program, regarding the (decrease) of the number of cases registered throughout the country, the decrease in deaths and the number of cases that require hospital treatment”.

In the same context, Margaret Harris, Spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO) said today, Friday March 12th, during a press conference in Geneva, “yes, we should continue using the AstraZeneca vaccine”, confirming that “there is no indication to not use it.”

It is noted that health authorities in Denmark and Norway temporarily suspended the use of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19, after reporting blood clots formation in some beneficiaries.

This step comes after Austria stopped the use of a batch of AstraZeneca doses pending investigation in a case of death due to blood clot formation and pulmonary embolism.

Four other European countries, namely Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Luxembourg, have suspended the use of AstraZeneca, which was previously sent to 17 European countries.

In this regard, Danish health authorities said that the country’s decision to suspend vaccination for a period of two weeks came after a 60-year-old woman in Denmark, who received a dose of AstraZeneca vaccine from the same batch that was used in Austria, suffered from a blood clot and died.

Magnus Heunicke, Danish Minister for Health said via a post on Twitter that “it is not currently possible to conclude whether there is a link. We act proactively, it needs a thorough investigation.”

For his part, Geir Bukholm, Executive Director of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health’s Division of Infection Control and Environmental Health, said at a press conference that “this is a precautionary decision.”

It should be recalled that Morocco has been ranked among the first to acquire the British “AstraZeneca” vaccine, which is manufactured in India. Meanwhile, Royal Air Maroc was among the first airlines to visit Mumbai to carry out the transfer.