Germany, France, Italy and Spain said they would resume using the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine after the EU drugs regulator said there was a “clear scientific conclusion” that the jab was “safe and effective”.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) reviewed the jab after 13 European countries suspended use of the vaccine over fears of a link to blood clots.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday called on countries to continue using the vaccine, and is due to release the results of its own review into the vaccine's safety on Friday.
The agency's investigation focused on a small number of cases of unusual blood disorders. In particular, it was looking at cases of cerebral venous thrombosis - blood clots in the head.
EMA officials said they could not “definitively” rule out a link between the vaccine and a rarer, and more serious, type of blood clot associated with a low platelet count. “A causal link with the vaccine is not proven, but is possibel and deserves further analysis,” the agency said. Cooke recommended an awareness campaign that aimed to “spot and mitigate any possible side effects” of the vaccine
The suspensions this week by more than a dozen European countries including Germany and Spain dealt a fresh blow to the continent’s ailing vaccination campaign.
The Oxford jab has faced multiple challenges. Early data generated by clinical trials were criticised by some experts as being inconsistent.
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