Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

EU Says No Specific Age Risk For AstraZeneca Coronavirus Vaccine So Far

EU Says No Specific Age Risk For AstraZeneca Coronavirus Vaccine So Far

The European Medicines Agency said however that its safety committee expected to issue an "updated recommendation" on the controversial vaccine after its monthly meeting next week.

Experts probing links between the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine and blood clots have found no specific risk factors, including age, but are investigating further, the EU's drug regulator said Wednesday.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said however that its safety committee expected to issue an "updated recommendation" on the controversial vaccine after its monthly meeting next week.

Germany on Tuesday became the latest in a series of countries to advise against using the AstraZeneca jab for younger people after rare reports of clotting, despite the EMA saying it is safe.

"At present the review has not identified any specific risk factors, such as age, gender or a previous medical history of clotting disorders, for these very rare events," the Amsterdam-based EMA said in a statement.

"A causal link with the vaccine is not proven, but is possible and further analysis is continuing."

The EMA statement came after experts met on Monday to discuss their latest findings on the AstraZeneca vaccine. Their comments will be discussed at the safety committee's meeting next week.

The watchdog reiterated the view it gave in a keenly-anticipated statement on March 18, saying "its benefits in protecting people from Covid-19 with the associated risks of death and hospitalisation outweigh the possible risks."

 62 cases worldwide


EMA's chief, Emer Cooke, and the head of the agency's pharmacovigilance and epidemiology department, Peter Arlett, told an online news conference of the cases detected of the rare clotting -- cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) -- following AstraZeneca vaccine injections.

They said there were 62 cases of CVST worldwide, with 44 of them in the European Economic Area (EEA) comprising the European Union and associated states Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

Cooke added that the EEA figures did not count German cases recorded after March 22, and added that there were 14 fatalities in the region "but not all of them were associated with CVST".

The figures they gave were from 9.2 million AstraZeneca jabs in the EEA region.

Statistics from Brazil, which also uses the AstraZeneca vaccine, were not included.

Cooke said that, while "at this stage of our investigations the link is possible" between rare CVST cases and the AstraZeneca vaccine, more evaluation was needed.

She said that the possible ratio of CVST adverse reactions "for the AZ vaccine based on spontaneous reporting in the EEA, it's 4.8 cases per million".

Comparing to the two other Covid vaccines currently deployed in Europe, she said: "For the BioNTech vaccine based on the same criteria, it was 0.2 cases per million. And for the Moderna vaccine, based on the same criteria, zero cases per million, but that probably reflects that there's a lot less use of Moderna at the moment in Europe."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
France Implements Nationwide Outdoor Smoking Ban to Protect Children
German Chancellor Merz Keeps Putin Guessing on Missile Strategy
Mandelson Criticizes UK's 'Fetish' for Abandoning EU Regulations
British Fishing Boat Owner Fined €30,000 by French Authorities
Dutch government falls as far-right leader Wilders quits coalition
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
×