European Medicines Agency declares AstraZeneca vaccine safe
The European Medicines Agency, or EMA, has concluded its investigation of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine and declared it safe to use.
The EMA found no link between the vaccine and thromboembolism or blood clots during its review of the evidence, although the agency could not completely rule it out.
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“This is a safe and effective vaccine,” EMA executive director Emer Cooke said during a press briefing. “Its benefits in protecting people from COVID-19 with the associated risks of death and hospitalization outweigh the possible risks.”
Denmark and Norway halted rollout of the vaccine after reports of blood clots in vaccinees, one of which was fatal. More European countries, including Germany, France and Ireland, paused their vaccine rollouts later in the week despite criticism from experts and a statement from the EMA noting that there was “no indication” the vaccine was responsible for the clots.
The EMA is launching additional investigations into rare events like clotting in vaccinees and will also be conducting targeted observational studies.
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