By Maria Cheng, Associated Press — Wednesday 31 March 2021
LONDON (AP) — German officials decided to limit the use of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine to people aged 60 and over after a rise in reported cases of unusual blood clots in a small number of people who received the shots. Germany’s medical regulator reported 31 such cases by 29th March, out of 2.7 million doses administered. Nine of those individuals died, and all but two cases involved women aged 20 to 63.
Earlier this month, more than a dozen countries suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine over the clot issue. Most restarted — some with restrictions similar to Germany’s — after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) concluded the shot did not raise the overall risk of blood clots and recommended only that a new warning be added to the vaccine’s leaflet. The World Health Organization’s expert committee also evaluated available data and said the shot was safe and effective.
“The mechanism by which these blood clotting abnormalities come about, and why they affect this very small proportion of individuals, has still not been properly worked out,” said Dr. Adam Finn of the University of Bristol. He noted there is no compelling evidence yet that the vaccine is to blame. Scientists say it will take time to determine whether the rare clots are caused by vaccination: it took about a year before scientists were able to conclude that a swine flu vaccine was responsible for some cases of narcolepsy in Europe.
Health officials warn that the repeated suspensions and restrictions for the AstraZeneca vaccine could undermine confidence in a shot that is key to global pandemic efforts, since it is cheaper and easier to store than other options. In Norway, officials said the confusion was already prompting a wave of vaccine hesitancy. “We need to stay focused on the need to prevent COVID-19 taking millions more human lives before it is brought under control, and the only effective way to do that is through vaccination,” said Finn.