[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] A European Medicines Agency (EMA) official emphasized on the 13th (local time) that “the benefit-risk balance of the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine remains high across all age groups, especially for those aged 60 and above.” This was to correct the report by the Italian daily La Stampa, which, after an interview with the official, stated that “vaccination with the AZ vaccine should be stopped for those aged 60 and above.”
Marco Cavaleri, EMA’s head of vaccine strategy, sent a statement to major foreign media on the same day, saying, “Unfortunately, the remarks in the interview were misinterpreted.” Earlier, La Stampa had quoted Cavaleri’s words to report that countries should stop administering the AZ vaccine to those aged 60 and above due to concerns about rare blood clots and the availability of alternative vaccines.
After Cavaleri’s statement was released, La Stampa changed the online headline of the article that afternoon and added his position. Major foreign media reported that La Stampa’s editor-in-chief did not comment on this matter.
Robert Speranza, Italy’s Minister of Health, said to reporters on the same day that the AZ vaccine would continue to be administered to those aged 60 and above. Italy temporarily suspended the AZ vaccine in March due to concerns about rare blood clots. However, following EMA’s announcement that “the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks,” it has recommended prioritizing the use of the vaccine for those aged 60 and above since April.
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