AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine's benefits outweigh risk, says EU regulator

Europe’s medicines watchdog said on Tuesday the benefits of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine continue to outweigh the risks after several countries halted its use due to concerns about blood clots.
 
EMA Executive Director Emer Cooke said there was no indication that the blood clot incidents, which she called “very rare” had been caused by the vaccine, but that experts were assessing that possibility.
 
Meanwhile, according to news agency AFP’s tally, Europe’s Covid-19 toll surpassed the grim milestone of over 900,000 deaths.
 

Trust in the safety of the vaccines was paramount and the agency was carrying out a case-by-case evaluation, she said. “The benefits continue to outweigh the risks, but this is a serious concern and it does need serious and detailed scientific evaluation. This is what we are involved in at the moment,” Cooke told a news conference.

 
The results of its findings would be discussed during an EMA review on Thursday after which the results would be made public, Cooke said.
 
Sweden and Latvia on Tuesday suspended use of the vaccine, bringing to more than a dozen the number of EU countries to act since reports first emerged of thromboembolisms affecting people after they got the AstraZeneca shot.
 
A WHO committee of experts was reviewing the cases and was expected to issue a statement by the end of the day, a spokesman said.
 
The EU’s largest members - Germany, France and Italy - suspended use of AstraZeneca's vaccine on Monday pending the outcome of investigations into cases of a rare cerebral thrombosis in people who had received it.

 

Chinese jab must to visit country
 
China has made it mandatory for people coming from India and 19 other nations to get Chinese-made Covid vaccines if they want to travel to this country. The Embassy notice did not specify how Indians can access the jabs in India.

 

Moderna starts paediatric study
 
Moderna said the first children have been dosed in a clinical trial of its Covid-19 vaccine in kids from six months to less than 12-years-old. The study is expected to enroll approximately 6,750 participants in the US and Canada.