The Twenty-Seven must coordinate and “speak with one voice across the EU” on the AstraZeneca vaccine against the coronavirus, of which several countries have restricted the use, in order not to fuel mistrust, the official said on Wednesday. European Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides.
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“It is essential that we follow a coordinated approach (…) We must speak with one voice across the EU in order to strengthen public confidence in vaccination,” she said in a tweet.
These words were taken from his speech to European health ministers, gathered after an opinion from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) confirming the link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and rare cases of blood clots.
“The experience with AstraZeneca shows that our pharmacovigilance system works”, by reporting to the European gendarme the reports of thrombosis in vaccinated people, observed Ms. Kyriakides.
However, the EMA confirmed on Wednesday that the benefits of the vaccine from the Swedish-British laboratory outweigh the risks.
No specific risk factor, such as age, for example, has been identified, insisted the regulator.
However, several European states have already decided to restrict its use according to age criteria – which vary from one country to another.
Last week, Germany advised against using the product for younger people, reserving it for those over 60. In France, the Haute Autorité de santé has recommended that it be reserved for people aged 55 and over.
Wednesday evening, after the opinion of the EMA, Belgium announced to reserve it also for the over 55 years.
Information on possible serious side effects, even extremely rare, has contributed to fueling the mistrust of the public solicited for vaccination, some of which shun the centers offering AstraZeneca doses or turn to other available vaccines.