AstraZeneca vaccine has Europe worried: several cases of patients given doses of the vaccine who later developed blood clots have been reported. Even though no direct link has been made between the vaccine and this health issue, Iceland, Norway, Denmark and Germany have decided to be cautious and stopped using the vaccine.
Cessations that incited France to do so as well. Therefore, on Monday March 15, the French President announced the country is halting AstraZeneca vaccine use as a precaution for at least 24 hours, so that the European Medicines Agency can give their mind on the matter. The assessment has been handed over this Thursday March 18 and states AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and effetcive and can be used again.
The very same day, during the weekly press brief on the health situation, Jean Castex explained that after delivering this report, vaccinations were set to resume the day after, on Friday March 19, in the afternoon, to give time to the Haute Autorité de Santé to agree. He adds, to encourage the French to get vaccinated he will have the product developed by the British laboratory inoculated this very Friday.
And yet, during the weekly press brief on March 11, 2021, Olivier Véran intended to reassure the French. The Health Minister announced France will keep on vaccinating volunteers with AstraZeneca.
“According to the National Medicine Safety Agency complying with recommendations from the European Medicines Agency, there is no use halting vaccination with AstraZeneca. Investigations are systematically carried out every time a severe adverse effect is reported. In five million Europeans, 30 people have shown coagulation issues”, the minister relativizes.
He goes on: “it is no statistical increased risk. In five million European vaccinated, we could expect 30 of them also show coagulation issue. This is what is called the benefit-risk ratio and over the risk at this point, and investigations are going on”, Véran assured.
At this stage, the French government is now worried. The Health Minister guarantees they are overseeing and studying each problem raised after vaccination and they are always taking action in the interests of the people.
