France, Germany, Italy, and Spain Halt AstraZeneca Shots Amid Safety Fears
FRANCE, Germany and Spain are the latest nations to suspend use of the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine today due to blood clot fears.
Boris Johnson, UK scientists and regulators say the jab is safe and there is currently no proof it was the cause of fatal blood clots in people who had recently received it.
But Britain’s closest neighbours – France, Germany and Italy – add to a growing list of countries which have taken extra cautious measures while investigations are ongoing – even if it means slowing down the rollout.
In a bid to persuade more countries from pausing the roll-out of the jab, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) insisted the rate of clots “in vaccinated people seems not to be higher than that seen in the general population.”
The EMA, currently probing the link between clots and the jab, added that its benefits “outweigh the risks of side effects.”
It will hold emergency meetings to discuss the safety of the jab tomorrow and Thursday.
The full list of countries that are currently not using the British-created jab are:
- France
- Germany
- Spain
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Ireland
- Iceland
- Denmark
- Norway
- Bulgaria
- Luxembourg
- Estonia
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Austria
- Romania
- Thailand
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Indonesia
The UK medicine regulator – the MHRA – says the AstraZeneca (AZ) jab is safe and encourages Brits to accept their offer, supported by the PM.
Medical experts have said the blood clots are just a “coincidence”, with others claiming that it’s a “step too far” to stop people getting a jab that would protect them from serious disease.
Spain’s health minister tonight announced a two-week ban on using the vaccine.