European Countries Temporary Suspends use of AstraZeneca, Canada says AstraZeneca vaccine is safe
New Delhi: A different view of the European nations and Canada on the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine could be a new challenge for the people in the future. The European country Norway, Denmark, and Iceland on Thursday temporarily suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine over concerns about patients developing post-jab blood clots.
On the other side – the latest statement given by the Ottawa government on Thursday said that “AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is safe.”
The Health Authority of Denmark was the first to announce its suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine after reporting some serious cases of blood clots – who had received the vaccine.
The European Medicines Agency said that “As of March 9, 22 cases of blood clots had been reported among more than three million people vaccinated in the European Economic Area.”
The Government of Canada said “Health Canada is aware of reports of adverse events in Europe following immunization with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, and would like to reassure Canadians that the benefits of the vaccine continue to outweigh its risks,”
Austria announced on Monday that it had suspended the use of a batch of AstraZeneca vaccines after a 49-year-old nurse died of “severe blood coagulation problems” days after receiving an anti-Covid shot.
Four other European countries — Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Luxemburg — have also suspended the use of vaccines from this batch, which was sent to 17 European countries and consisted of one million jabs.
Denmark however suspended the use of all of its AstraZeneca supply.
Canada received 500,000 AstraZeneca doses made at the Serum Institute of India last week and expects to get 1.5 million more in by May.
“To date, no adverse events related to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine… have been reported to Health Canada or the Public Health Agency of Canada,” the Ottawa office statement said.
The federal government has ordered a total of 20 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and is due to receive 1.9 million through COVAX – the international initiative set up to provide equitable access to vaccines.
_Vinayak.Barot
