EU regulator 'convinced' jab benefits outweigh risks

The EU's medicines regulator said on Tuesday it was "firmly convinced" the benefits of AstraZeneca's vaccine outweigh potential risks, insisting there was no evidence linking it to blood clots after several nations suspended the shot over those health fears.

The suspensions have provoked intense debate over whether it was prudent to put AstraZeneca inoculations on hold just as vaccination campaigns were beginning to gather pace.

Experts at both the World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, met on Tuesday to discuss the vaccine. The European organization is expected to publish its conclusions on Thursday.

While millions of doses of the vaccine developed with Oxford University have been administered, small numbers of people have developed blood clots, prompting several countries to suspend injections.

The EMA insisted countries should continue using the vaccine.

"We are still firmly convinced that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing COVID-19 with its associated risk of hospitalization and death outweigh the risk of these side effects," EMA Chief Emer Cooke said on Tuesday.

Encouraging news

France and Italy welcomed the news. The preliminary statements from the EMA "are encouraging", read a joint statement from French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex vowed he would be vaccinated "very quickly" with the vaccine to give the public confidence in the jab if it is ruled as safe by the EU medicines agency.

Better news for AstraZeneca came from Australia, where the country's chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, says there is no link between the vaccine and blood clots.

However, the only vaccine manufacturer in the country, CSL, said it is in talks with the Australian government about producing alternatives to the AstraZeneca jab.

Authorities in Greece also will continue to use AstraZeneca's in the country as originally scheduled, the national news agency AMNA reported on Tuesday.

Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reviewing the vaccine which is being used in Africa for vaccinations under the COVAX program, John Nkengasong, director of the agency, said on Tuesday.

"We would need to review the data. We should guide the response with strong science and evidence," Nkengasong said.

Julian Shea in London, Otiato Opali in Nairobi, agencies and Xinhua contributed to this story.