AstraZeneca
The European Union’s medicines regulator has reiterated there is no indication that the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine causes blood clots, after several countries paused their rollouts.
European Medicines Agency (EMA) head Emer Cooke said she remained “firmly convinced” that the benefits of the jab outweighed any risks.
An investigation into cases of blood clots in a handful of recipients is ongoing.
The World Health Organization has urged countries not to halt vaccinations.
Vaccine safety experts from the WHO are also meeting on Tuesday to review the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab.
AstraZeneca says a review of 17 million people who received doses in Europe found there were 37 cases of people who had developed blood clots.
Experts say the number of blood clots reported in vaccinated people is no higher than that seen in the general population.
A number of countries have temporarily suspended use of the vaccine, including Germany, France, Italy and Spain.
They said they were pausing the rollout following reports of blood clots in some recipients. Blood clots are solid clumps that form in the blood, which can be life threatening if not treated quickly. The countries stressed that it was a precautionary measure.
