The WHO recommended this Wednesday to continue using AstraZeneca's anti-Covid vaccine, the use of which has been suspended by several countries due to possible side effects, also recommending that of the American laboratory Johnson & Johnson.
Read also: Covid-19: Can Europe bring an action against AstraZeneca?
"
For the moment, the WHO believes that the risk / benefit balance tilts in favor of the AstraZeneca vaccine and recommends that the vaccinations continue
", indicates a press release from the UN agency, which ensures that its evaluations are continuing.
After approving it last Friday, the WHO also recommended the administration of another viral vector vaccine, that of the American laboratory Johnson & Johnson, even in countries where the more contagious variants of the coronavirus circulate.
Faced with uncertainties and fears about the safety of Swedish-British AstraZeneca's vaccine, British Minister of Health Matt Hancock called on Wednesday to continue its deployment.
"
There is no evidence that these vaccines caused clots,
" he wrote in The Sun tabloid, stressing that this is not just his opinion but that of the British regulator, the MHRA, to WHO and the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
Spanish health authorities have announced that they are investigating three cases of people who suffered from the formation of blood clots after the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine, one of whom died.
Bring back confidence
In an attempt to restore confidence in this product which, according to an Elabe poll, is only considered reliable by 22% of French people, Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Tuesday evening he was ready to be injected "
very quickly.
As soon as it is authorized again.
While it is in the grip of a shortage of vaccines, Europe threatened Wednesday, via the European Commission, to tighten the conditions of export outside the EU of anti-Covid vaccines in order to guarantee the "
reciprocity
" of exchanges with countries which produce them themselves, calling in particular on the United Kingdom to send doses to the continent.
Seven European states, including Germany and France, extended the list at the start of the week to around fifteen countries having suspended the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine following problems, such as difficulties in coagulating or training clots.
