Spain will start vaccinating with AstraZeneca jab again after EMA ruled it 'safe and effective'
Reuters/Dado Ruvic
- Spain will resume AstraZeneca jab use from Wednesday March 24, after suspension earlier this month.
- Several countries suspended the vaccine over fears it was linked to a higher risk of blood clots.
- The European Medicines Agency said on Thursday that the vaccine was "safe and effective."
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Spain will resume using the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, the country's health minister stated during a press conference on Thursday, according to ABC.
Multiple European countries paused AstraZeneca vaccinations after concerns that they might be linked to an increased risk of blood clots, although the EMA said there was "no indication" the vaccine had caused them.
The EMA then conducted an investigation into the vaccine after 30 cases of blood clots out of five million overall vaccinated people and reassured countries of its safety.
"This is a safe and effective vaccine," EMA director Emer Cooke said, according to Reuters. "If it were me, I would be vaccinated tomorrow."
The Spanish Public Health Commission will now meet to approve the decision and decide which age or risk groups are the priorities from now on and which should be excluded.
"Its benefits continue to be far greater than its risks," said Sabine Strauss, chair of the EMA's risk assessment committee. "More often, because the vaccine is effective in preventing COVID-19 disease, which in itself is a cause of blood clots, it likely reduces the risk of traumatic events overall."
Toby Melville - WPA Pool / Getty Images
Denmark and Norway were the first countries to suspend the use of the vaccine and Iceland, Bulgaria, Thailand, and the Netherlands among others quickly followed suit.
The UK refused to suspend the vaccine, with a spokesperson for Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying the vaccine was "safe and effective" and people should take the vaccine with "confidence."
In her statement on Thursday, Cooke said it was important for people to be aware and informed of the risks associated with the vaccine before being inoculated.
New studies on the risks will be conducted, attention will be drawn to the risks and rare side effects in the product packaging and beyond, and people are encouraged to mitigate side effects with the help of healthcare professionals.
"We cannot comment on the individual decisions in member states," Cooke added, confirming that the EMA cannot definitively rule out any risks associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Many of the other countries are now due to resume AstraZeneca vaccinations immediately, with France, Germany, and Italy beginning today.
Fears over blood clots have been one of many hurdles the vaccine has faced. Mistrust spread across Europe after delays in approval and supply, and comments by politicians including French President Emmanuel Macron.
The US is yet to approve the vaccine but that could change in April.
AstraZeneca claims it is now developing a "next-generation" COVID-19 vaccine to target fast-spreading variants, and could be ready in the fall.
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