Oxford jab is ‘safe and people should continue to take it’

Countries across Europe are still suspending the use of the Oxford/AstraZenca vaccine after a patient died from blood clots after having the jab.

There is no confirmed association between the vaccine and blood clots, and the medicines regulator said on Tuesday that they are still “firmly convinced” the benefits outweigh the risks.

Speaking at a news conference the EMA executive director, Emer Cooke said, it was “not unexpected” to see adverse reactions in a roll out.

But they will need to be “rapidly evaluated” and there are thousands of people each year who develop blood clots in the EU for various reasons.

Cooke said that scientific experts must work out if there is some sort of “casual relationship.”

“There is no indication vaccination has caused these [blood clotting] conditions,” Cooke told a news briefing.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the UK’s medicines regulator, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) have all backed the vaccine after several countries paused its rollout.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab also said on Tuesday, that the Oxford vaccine is “safe.”

Raab told BBC Breakfast, “Different countries have different approaches but I can tell you crystal clear that the UK regulator, the European EU regulator and the WHO all say that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and people should continue to take it.

“It is safe, people should get the vaccine and I think it has been very clear, both from the MHRA, the UK regulator, that the risks of taking the vaccine are no more than, in terms of for example blood clots, than the population at large.

“There is no extra risk on the evidence that we’ve seen, which is why they have authorised the vaccine and haven’t taken any further action.

“We respect the process and procedures that some other countries may need to go through but the vaccine is safe and people should certainly continue to take it and to protect themselves and their friends and family.”