Mar 18, 2021 11:27:00

WHO requests countries to continue using AstraZeneca vaccine, pointing out that 'merits outweigh risks'

Following reports of suspected side effects such as blood clots after vaccination with the vaccine developed by the British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, the use of the vaccine will be postponed in countries centered on the EU. The movement is spreading. In response to this issue, WHO issued a statement on March 17, 2021 that 'the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine outweigh the risks' and requested that the vaccine be continued to be used.

WHO statement on AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine safety signals
https://www.who.int/news/item/17-03-2021-who-statement-on-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine-safety-signals

WHO on AstraZeneca: Vaccinations should continue
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/17/who-on-astrazeneca-vaccinations-should-continue.html

Amid panic over AstraZeneca vaccine, WHO urges countries to keep using it | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/03/amid-panic-over-astrazeneca-vaccine-who-urges-countries-to-keep-using-it/

Germany, France, Italy, on March 15, in response to the fact that side effects AstraZeneca made vaccine is concerned, one after another and 'suspend the vaccination of the vaccine' announcement was. In addition, a total of 12 EU member states, including Denmark and Norway, have indicated their intention to stop using the AstraZeneca vaccine.

WHO Chief Scientist Somya Swami Nathan

said at a press conference on March 15 that 'someone dies every day, so it's not the death after vaccination that matters, but whether it's related to the vaccine. So, we're scrutinizing all the data, but we have n't found any association between reported adverse events and vaccines, because the percentage of adverse events that occurred in the vaccinated group. Is lower than expected in another unvaccinated group. '

In addition, WHO said in a statement released yesterday, 'The WHO Advisory Committee has carefully evaluated the latest data on the safety of AstraZeneca vaccines and will immediately report the results as soon as the evaluation is complete. At this point, WHO believes that the benefits of AstraZeneca's vaccine outweigh the risks and recommends continued vaccination. ' ..

'The process of assessing vaccination safety is ongoing,' said Emer Cooke, executive director of the European Medicines Agency (EMA). 'So far, vaccination has caused adverse events. There are no signs that this has happened, 'he said, supporting continued use of the vaccine.

While some European countries have forgotten to use the AstraZeneca vaccine, Belgium, Poland and the Czech Republic continue to receive the vaccine. In particular, Belgium's health minister, Frank Vandenbrook, blamed the move to fuel the risk of the vaccine, saying 'it is irresponsible to suspend vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine now.'

The AstraZeneca vaccine has not yet been approved in the United States, but AstraZeneca has completed clinical trials in the United States and will announce the results shortly. It has also been applied for use in Japan, but it has not been approved at the time of writing the article.