Greece will continue using the AstraZeneca vaccine, Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias said on Tuesday adding that the “average number of blood clot incidents among vaccinated persons is not higher that the average number among the general population.”
Greece’s decision comes after several European countries including Germany, Spain, Portugal, France, the Netherlands, decided to halt AstraZeneca jabs pending an investigation by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) into reports of serious side-effects, including clotting.
He added that 172,000 doses of the jab developed by the UK’s Oxford University have already been administered in Greece, with just one report of complications that, upon further examination, were found to be unrelated to the vaccine.
“We will continue being vaccinated with all the vaccines approved in Europe until the EMA tells us otherwise,” Kikilias said.
Εμπιστευόμαστε τον Ευρωπαϊκό Οργανισμό Φαρμάκου, ακολουθούμε τις οδηγίες του. Συνιστώ ψυχραιμία και νηφαλιότητα. https://t.co/YSuZ64REKV
— Vassilis Kikilias (@Vkikilias) March 16, 2021
Greece’s National Organization for Medicines (EOF) is to hold an emergency meeting on the issue on Tuesday. Official announcements are expected in the afternoon.
EMA has scheduled a meeting on Thursday to discuss concerns expressed by health authorities in several countries.
The article states that “average number of blood clot incidents among vaccinated persons is not higher than the average number among the general population.” I cannot quote a published source but my understanding is that the statement should read “average number of blood clot incidents among vaccinated persons is LOWER than the average number among the general population.” People tend to view COVID simply as a respiratory disease, like flu, but in reality it is a vascular disease and one of its symptoms is thromboembolic events. The probability of experiencing such an event is significantly higher if you catch COVID than if you receive the vaccine. It is normal practise to suspend any medical intervention if there is a suspicion of an adverse effect but I would expect administration of the vaccine to be resumed in those countries that have suspended it once these events have been investigated.
the minister said that…
Perhaps but considering that vaccines are derived from the actual Covid-19 virus (or based on other viruses as a medium) that causes thromboses, there is still a possibility that the blood clots are a result of the vaccines
Greece continues AstraZeneca administration pending EMA decision, says Health Minister
Simply repeating that the “average number of blood clot incidents among vaccinated persons is not higher that the average number among the general population” is not good enough.
This is so for any suspected side effect.
We need to be shown statistical analyses that the “incidences” occur at similar rates, in similar cohorts (age, sex, underlying conditions etc.) of unvaccinated persons. Otherwise confidence will be undermined.
Disclosure: I was a microbiologist, know how to read scientific papers, am not impressed with the vaccine trials and do not think that experimental treatments should trialled in the general population. I have been vaccinated against many and varied diseases for purposes of work and travel. I am not an anti-vaxxer.
My concern is, that if this is truly random, and that there is no causal relationship between the AstraZeneca vaccine and thrombosis, then shouldn’t the SAME percentage of occurrences of significant blood clotting immediately after being given the other vaccines like Pfizer and Moderna also be observed?
Based on the logic provided by the experts, it should. But I am not hearing such reports, and that has me concerned.