Boris Johnson lends support for Oxford Covid vaccine amid blood clot fears in EU countries

Boris Johnson yesterday insisted the Oxford jab was safe after the EU launched an investigation into reports of blood clots in vaccinated Europeans.

The European Medicines Agency said it had received reports of 22 cases of blood clotting among the three million people vaccinated with the vaccine on the continent, including one who died ten days later.

Yesterday, Denmark, Norway and Iceland said they would temporarily halt the rollout of the Oxford vaccine as a precaution.

Five other European countries, Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Luxembourg have also suspended the use of vaccines from a batch of one million doses that have gone to 17 European countries.

Boris Johnson yesterday insisted the Oxford jab was safe after the EU launched an investigation into reports of blood clots in vaccinated Europeans. The European Medicines Agency said it had received reports of 22 cases of blood clotting among the three million people vaccinated with the vaccine on the continent, including one who died ten days later. Pictured: A man receives an AstraZeneca vaccine in Berlin on March 8

However, a French official said last night that the country “ does not need ” to suspend the use of the jab.

Danish Health Minister Magnus Heunicke admitted it was too early to conclude whether there was “a link” between the vaccine and blood clotting, but added: “We are acting early, we need a in-depth investigation ”.

The No 10 insisted yesterday the jab was safe and the Brits should continue to take it. Mr Johnson’s spokesperson said: ‘We have made it clear that it is both safe and effective, and when people are asked to come forward and accept it, they have to do so with confidence . ”

French President Emmanuel Macron previously said the blow was “ near-effective ” among those over 65. This claim has been widely rejected by scientists and criticized as a political initiative born out of post-Brexit ill will.

But France, along with a host of other European countries, then blocked the use of the jab for the elderly. Last week, Mr Macron partially reversed the decision after a slow adoption of the Oxford coup by the French was seen as contributing to the country’s slow vaccination schedule.

Germany followed with their own U-turn, recommending the jab for those over 65.

At the same time, AstraZeneca said in a statement that its vaccine had met “clear and strict” safety standards before being approved for use in Europe in January.

“Peer-reviewed data confirms that the vaccine is generally well tolerated,” the company said. And the UK Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has suggested that the number of blood clots reported in the EU is no more than the amount that would occur naturally.

Dr Phil Bryan, MHRA Vaccine Safety Officer, said: “The Danish authorities’ action to temporarily suspend use of the vaccine is a precautionary measure while they investigate. Blood clots can occur naturally and are not uncommon. ”

Dr Bryan said more than 11 million doses of the Oxford vaccine have been given in the UK, adding: ‘Reports of blood clots received so far are no greater than the number that would have occurred naturally in the vaccinated population.

“Public safety will always come first. We are monitoring this problem closely, but the available evidence does not confirm that the vaccine is the cause.

AstraZeneca said in a statement that its vaccine had met “ clear and strict ” safety standards before being approved for use in Europe in January. [Stock image]

Professor Stephen Evans, of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said the suspensions were “an extremely cautious approach based on isolated reports in Europe”.

He said the problem lay in “the enormous difficulty of distinguishing a causal effect from a coincidence,” adding that Covid-19 itself is very strongly associated with blood clotting.

Denmark’s move comes days after Austria suspended use of a particular batch of the drug, ABV5300, because a woman died within 10 days of the bite. Italy suspended the use of a separate lot after the death of two Italians.

The European Medicines Agency said there was “no indication that the vaccination caused these conditions (clots), which are not listed as side effects with this vaccine”. He opened an investigation into the quality of lot ABV5300.

Developments appear to be further hampering the roll-out of vaccination in the EU, which has been severely delayed.

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