Following the suspension of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine over blood clot fears in some European countries, the world Health Organization (WHO) on Friday said there was no reason to stop using it, reported international news agency AFP.
The WHO said its vaccines advisory committee was currently going through safety data and emphasized that no causal link had been established between the vaccine and clotting.
“AstraZeneca is an excellent vaccine, as are the other vaccines that are being used,” WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told reporters at a briefing in Geneva, Switzerland.
Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Italy and Romania (all European countries) postponed or limited the rollout of AstraZeneca vaccines after isolated reports of recipients developing blood clots.
“We’ve reviewed the data on deaths. There has been no death, to date, proven to have been caused by vaccination,” she said. “Yes, we should continue using the AstraZeneca vaccine,” she added, stressing though that “any safety signal must be investigated.”
“We must always ensure that we look for any safety signals when we roll out vaccines, and we must review them,” she said. “But there is no indication to not use it,” she clarified.
