AstraZeneca vaccine raises concerns in Europe as more countries suspend usage
NEWS DIGEST – Denmark has become the latest European country to question the safety of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine after the country’s health authority announced the suspension of its use on Thursday.
The suspension came at the heels of suspicions that AstraZeneca could be causing blood clots in vaccinated citizens.
Denmark authorities say a 60-year-old woman had died of blood clot after taking a shot of the batch used in Austria. Austria had banned the use of AstraZenaca after a 49-year-old woman died from formation of blood clots within her blood vessels.
Severalother blood clot cases have been reported since the vaccine was administered.
As thrombosis (blocking of blood vessel by particles from a broken blood clot) is not a known side effect of AstraZeneca, Denmark health authority has announced a 14-day suspension as a precaution to probe the link between the vaccine and recent cases of blood clot.
Denmark’s health minister, Magnus Heunicke, tweeted, “It is currently not possible to conclude whether there is a connection. We act early, it needs to be thoroughly investigated.”
Denmark’s announcement meant it became the sixth European country to suspend vaccination with AstraZeneca, after Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Luxembourg.
Nigeria begins vaccination with AstraZeneca
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Last Tuesday, Nigeria received its first batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine, made in collaboration with the University of Oxford, which was provided through the global COVAX initiative. The first batch totalled 3.94 million doses.
President Buhari and Vice President Osinbanjo were one of the first set of Nigerians to receive the vaccine and did so on live television.
After receiving his first jab on March 6, President Buhari said “I wish to commend it to all eligible Nigerians to do the same so that we can be protected from the virus.”
Since then, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency has scaled up vaccination, first for frontline workers, and then, dignitaries.
Governor Umar Ganduje received his jab earlier today at the Murtala Mohd Specialist Hospital, Kano while Governor El-Rufai of Kaduna received his on Wednesday.
El-Rufai tweeted after receiving his shot: “Astrazeneca vaccine is safe: Just had my first meal some 5 hours after taking my first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. No pain. No headache. No side effects. Excellent appetite.”
Blood clot not linked to vaccine—European Medicines Agency
Before Denmark’s ban on Thursday, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) moved to discourage claims that AstraZeneca was responsible for recent cases of blood clot.
The EMA said on Wednesday that there is “currently no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions, which are not listed as side effects with this vaccine.”
“The information available so far indicates that the number of thromboembolic events in vaccinated people is no higher than that seen in the general population,” it added.
The EMA reports that 22 cases of thromboembolic events have been noted among 3 million persons vaccinated in Europe with AstraZeneca as of 9 March 2021.
