Four EU member states, Italy, France, Germany and Spain, plan to restart AstraZeneca vaccinations after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) concluded that the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine is “safe and effective”.
Use of the vaccine had been suspended in a number of European countires over unconfirmed reports of an increased rate of blood clots among recipients.
At a press conference, EMA executive director Emer Cooke said, “Its benefits in protecting people from COVID-19 with the associated risks of death and hospitalisation outweigh the possible risks,” but added that the regulator “cannot rule out definitively a link between these [blood clot] cases and the vaccine.”
The findings of the EMA have been backed up by the World Health Organisation which said there is no evidence the Covid-19 vaccine is to blame for the blood clots.
Following the EMA’s announcement, Italy said it would restart its rollout of AstraZeneca vaccinations on Friday.
France will also resume AstraZeneca vaccinations of Friday.
Source euronews.
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