Germany stopped use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine on Monday, the Ministry of Health announced in a statement, with Italy, France and Spain later today. Several other EU countries have stopped using the vaccine due to the possibility of blood clots.
The Ministry of Health announced that use of the vaccine had been discontinued “as a precaution” based on advice from the national health regulator, the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI). According to the Ministry of Health, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will decide pending an investigation “whether and how the new information will affect the approval of the vaccine”.
“Following new reports of cerebral vein thrombrose related to vaccination in Germany and Europe, the PEI considers further investigation necessary,” announced the Ministry of Health.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn said that “the decision is a professional, not a political one,” on the advice of the PEI. Spahn said the risk of blood clots from the AstraZeneca shot is low, but cannot be ruled out.
“The most important thing for trust is transparency,” Spahn said at a briefing.
EMA will hold a special meeting on vaccine safety later this week
French President Emmanuel Macron said France would suspend use of the vaccine pending an EMA review. The EMA said it will hold a special conference on Thursday to finalize the vaccine review.
“EMA currently continues to believe that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing COVID-19, with the associated risk of hospitalization and death, outweigh the risks of side effects,” the EMA said in a statement Monday.
AstraZeneca suspensions across Europe, worldwide
In addition to Germany, Italy and France, other countries in Europe and worldwide have discontinued use of the vaccine due to potential clotting risks. Last week, Denmark became the first country to suspend implementation, followed by Norway, Iceland and Bulgaria.
Non-European countries that have suspended use of the vaccine include Thailand and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Health regulators must give clear messages about vaccinations, virologist tells DW
Virologist and associate professor at Northumbria University in the UK, Sterghio Moschos, told DW on Monday that governments should provide clear messages about their decisions to suspend the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“It’s really important that we provide clear, concise and carefully thought out messages,” Moschos said, citing the prevalence of conspiracy theories and vaccine misinformation. “So in that regard, I fully support every legislator’s decision to stop, take a look and consider the data.”
“What we know is that 17 million people got the vaccine and 37 people developed these blood clots. That’s equivalent to .0002% of actually vaccinated people who get a blood clot,” added Moschos, saying that he took the AstraZeneca. vaccine. “immediately” when offered to him.
wd / msh (AP, dpa)