"Still, the Benefits of Prevention Outweigh the Risks of Side Effects"
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has concluded that the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the multinational pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca (AZ) should include a warning about a very rare side effect involving unusual blood clots accompanied by low platelet counts.
On the 7th (local time), the EMA announced this through the Safety Committee's evaluation results regarding cases of blood clot formation following AZ vaccine administration.
The EMA added, "In reaching this conclusion, we considered all currently available evidence."
However, the EMA reaffirmed its previous position that the overall benefits of this vaccine in preventing COVID-19 outweigh the risks of side effects.
Last month, the EMA concluded that AZ vaccine administration is not associated with an overall increased risk of blood clots.
Nonetheless, it stated that a clear exclusion of a link to very rare occurrences of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST)?unusual blood clots?cannot be made, and further analysis is necessary. DIC and CVST are conditions accompanied by increased clotting and decreased platelet counts.
Accordingly, the EMA has been conducting further analyses along with Safety Committee evaluations.
Meanwhile, as controversy surrounding the AZ vaccine continues, the Korean government has decided to temporarily suspend vaccinations for those under 60 years of age currently underway.
The COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team (hereafter Promotion Team) previously held an expert advisory meeting on vaccines on the 7th and announced that vaccinations would resume after confirming the EMA general meeting results.
Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Promotion Team, emphasized, "This measure was proactively taken with the safety of COVID-19 vaccine recipients as the top priority," adding, "Based on the EMA announcement, we will respond swiftly after in-depth discussions with domestic experts."
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