"AstraZeneca is an excellent vaccine, as are the other vaccines that are being used," WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told reporters at a briefing in Geneva. "We've reviewed the data on deaths. There has been no death, to date, proven to have been caused by vaccination," she said.
"Yes, we should continue using the AstraZeneca vaccine," she added, stressing though that "any safety signal must be investigated." "We must always ensure that we look for any safety signals when we roll out vaccines, and we must review them," she said. "But there is no indication not to use it," she further said.
The move came in the wake of "reports of serious cases of blood clots among people vaccinated with AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine", the Danish Health Authority said in a statement. But it cautiously added that "it has not been determined, at the time being, that there is a link between the vaccine and the blood clots." Nevertheless, it asked the regional authorities in charge of vaccine rollout to stop using the AstraZeneca jab until further notice, the report said.
The report added that there is "good evidence that the vaccine is both safe and effective", but that it would consult with the Danish medicines agency in two weeks on the matter. "It is important to point out that we have not terminated the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine. We are just pausing its use," Danish Health Authority Director Soren Brostrom said in the statement.
Meanwhile, 22 cases of blood clots had been reported among more than three million people vaccinated in the European Economic Area as of March 9, said the European Medicines Agency (EMA). "There is currently no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions, which are not listed as side effects with this vaccine," EMA added.
"EMA's safety committee PRAC is reviewing this issue; it is investigating the cases reported with the batch as well as all other cases of thromboembolic events and other conditions related to blood clots, reported post-vaccination. 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.