EU Agency: 'Possible Link' Between Blood Clots, AstraZeneca Vaccine
2021-04-08
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1The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said Wednesday it has found a "possible link" between the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine and rare cases of blood system blockages, known as blood clots.
2The EMA announcement is the latest setback for a low-cost vaccine that was once called a "vaccine for the world."
3The AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved for emergency use in over 100 countries including Britain and the European Union.
4The vaccine is also a large part of the United Nations COVAX program to provide COVID-19 vaccines to poorer countries.
5The agency advised that blood system blockages should be listed as "side effects" of the vaccine.
6It said women under the age of 60 represent most of the cases of blood clots reported so far.
7The problems, the agency said, happened within two weeks of vaccination.
8The EMA said it was not "possible to identify specific risk factors."
9EMA chief Emer Cooke spoke to reporters Wednesday.
10She said the risk of death from COVID is much greater than the risk of death from these side effects.
11The EMA and the World Health Organization have said repeatedly that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and effective.
12Early in the pandemic, the AstraZeneca vaccine, developed with Britain's University of Oxford, was considered a leading candidate against the coronavirus.
13It costs much less than other vaccines.
14It also does not require extreme cold storage, making it easier to use in countries with limited resources.
15Last September, the company temporarily suspended the trials of the vaccine after a volunteer in Britain developed inflammation in her spine.
16It was later found to be unrelated to the vaccine but led to a long delay in the United States.
17In March, about 13 European countries suspended their use of AstraZeneca vaccine after reports of possible blood clots linked to the shot.
18Most restarted with some age restrictions after the EMA said countries should continue to use the vaccine.
19A week later, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a U.S. health agency, released an unusual statement saying that "AstraZeneca might have included outdated information from that trial, which may have provided an incomplete view of the efficacy data."
20On Wednesday, the Reuters news agency reported that EU health ministers planned to meet after the EMA's announcement.
21Even officials in Asia said they were waiting to hear the EMA's decision.
22South Korea had temporarily suspended the use of AstraZeneca's vaccine in people 60 and younger.
23The country's health officials said Wednesday that they would also pause a plan to vaccinate teachers that was to begin on Thursday, while awaiting the results of the EMA's review.
24Dr. Peter English was a former head of the British Medical Association's Public Health Medicine Committee.
25He said questions over the vaccine could have serious consequences around the world.
26English told the Associated Press, "We can't afford not to use this vaccine if we are going to end the pandemic."
27I'm Caty Weaver.
1The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said Wednesday it has found a "possible link" between the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine and rare cases of blood system blockages, known as blood clots. 2The EMA announcement is the latest setback for a low-cost vaccine that was once called a "vaccine for the world." The AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved for emergency use in over 100 countries including Britain and the European Union. The vaccine is also a large part of the United Nations COVAX program to provide COVID-19 vaccines to poorer countries. 3The agency advised that blood system blockages should be listed as "side effects" of the vaccine. It said women under the age of 60 represent most of the cases of blood clots reported so far. The problems, the agency said, happened within two weeks of vaccination. The EMA said it was not "possible to identify specific risk factors." 4EMA chief Emer Cooke spoke to reporters Wednesday. She said the risk of death from COVID is much greater than the risk of death from these side effects. 5The EMA and the World Health Organization have said repeatedly that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and effective. 6Setbacks from the start 7Early in the pandemic, the AstraZeneca vaccine, developed with Britain's University of Oxford, was considered a leading candidate against the coronavirus. It costs much less than other vaccines. It also does not require extreme cold storage, making it easier to use in countries with limited resources. 8Last September, the company temporarily suspended the trials of the vaccine after a volunteer in Britain developed inflammation in her spine. It was later found to be unrelated to the vaccine but led to a long delay in the United States. 9In March, about 13 European countries suspended their use of AstraZeneca vaccine after reports of possible blood clots linked to the shot. Most restarted with some age restrictions after the EMA said countries should continue to use the vaccine. 10A week later, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a U.S. health agency, released an unusual statement saying that "AstraZeneca might have included outdated information from that trial, which may have provided an incomplete view of the efficacy data." 11On Wednesday, the Reuters news agency reported that EU health ministers planned to meet after the EMA's announcement. 12Even officials in Asia said they were waiting to hear the EMA's decision. South Korea had temporarily suspended the use of AstraZeneca's vaccine in people 60 and younger. The country's health officials said Wednesday that they would also pause a plan to vaccinate teachers that was to begin on Thursday, while awaiting the results of the EMA's review. 13Dr. Peter English was a former head of the British Medical Association's Public Health Medicine Committee. He said questions over the vaccine could have serious consequences around the world. 14English told the Associated Press, "We can't afford not to use this vaccine if we are going to end the pandemic." 15I'm Caty Weaver. 16Hai Do wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 17_______________________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19setback - n. a problem that makes progress more difficult 20specific - adj. precise or exact 21factor - n. one of the thing that causes something to happen 22inflammation - n. a condition in which a part of your body becomes, red, swollen and painful