AstraZeneca, blood clots link 'plausible but not confirmed': WHO

A causal link between the AstraZeneca Covid19 vaccine and the rare occurrence of blood clots with low platelets is considered plausible but not confirmed the World Health Organization WHO saidEarlier on the day the European Medicines Agency EMA confirmed that the cases of blood clots with low blood platelets were associated with the administration of the AstraZeneca Covid19 vaccine but should still be listed as very rare side effectsIn an interim statement on Wednesday the WHOs Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety GACVS said that the events under assessment are very rare with low numbers reported among the almost 200 million individuals who have received the AstraZeneca vaccine around the world Xinhua news agency reportedHowever specialized studies are needed to fully understand the potential link and the GACVS said it will continue to gather and review further dataMeanwhile the GACVS added that rare adverse events following immunizations should be assessed against the risk of deaths from Covid19 and the potential of the vaccines to prevent infections and reduce deaths According to the WHOs statistics as of Wednesday at least 26 million people have died of Covid19 worldwideSeveral European countries have already halted or suspended the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine in view of the reported risks On Wednesday the WHO said that the side effects mostly mild and local in nature are expected and common within two or three days following vaccinationIt also recommended that individuals who experience any severe symptoms such as shortness of breath chest pain leg swelling persistent abdominal pain neurological symptoms such as severe and persistent headaches or blurred vision tiny blood spots under the skin beyond the site of the injection from around four to 20 days following vaccination should seek urgent medical attentionIn extensive vaccination campaigns it is normal for countries to identify potential adverse events following immunization the GACVS said This does not necessarily mean that the events are linked to the vaccination itself but they must be investigated to ensure that any safety concerns are addressed quicklyVaccines like all medicines can have side effects The administration of vaccines is based on a risk versus benefit analysis it addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever