The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday ensured AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine is completely safe to use after several countries suspended the vaccine rollout over blood clot fears, reported Livemint.
The WHO stressed that no causal link had been established between the AstraZeneca vaccine and clotting.
“AstraZeneca is an excellent vaccine, as are the other vaccines that are being used,” WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told reporters in Geneva.
She insisted that countries should continue using the AstraZeneca vaccine, saying that any concerns over safety must be investigated.
The WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom said the agency is reviewing the reports.
“WHO’s Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety systematically reviews safety signals, and is carefully assessing the current reports on the AstraZeneca vaccine,” said Tedros.
He said the WHO will immediately communicate the findings and any changes to its recommendations once the assessment is over.
The Britain-based AstraZeneca insisted its vaccine was safe, adding there is no evidence of higher blood clot risks.
The WHO’s statement comes after Denmark, Norway and Iceland suspended the use of the AstraZeneca jab as a precaution after isolated reports of recipients developing blood clots.
Austria, Italy, Romania, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Luxemburg suspended the use of vaccines from a particular batch, which was sent to 17 European countries and consisted of one million doses. Thailand and Bulgaria have also decided to delay the rollout of the shot.
The European Union’s drug regulator said severe allergies should be added to the possible side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine after likely links were found to a number of cases in Britain.
But several countries, including Australia, said they would continue their rollouts as they had found no reason to alter course. Canada also said it found no evidence that proves that the jab causes adverse health reactions.
The WHO has so far approved four vaccines for emergency use and it noted that over 335 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered globally so far.
