AstraZeneca Corona 19 Vaccine. AFP Yonhap News
A senior official from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced on the 6th (local time) that AstraZeneca (AZ)’s novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) vaccine is “related to thrombosis.” EMA, which had reaffirmed the safety of the AZ vaccine last month and recommended vaccination, raised the likelihood of a major disruption in domestic vaccination plans. Up to this day, 87% of the vaccines inoculated in Korea were AZ vaccines.
According to the AFP news agency, Marco Kevalelli, head of EMA vaccine strategy, said in an interview with Ilmesazero in Italy on the same day, “It is clear that it is related to the AZ vaccine and very rarely reported specific thrombosis.” However, he did not provide specific evidence, saying, “We do not know which component of the vaccine caused this reaction.”
“There were more cases of thrombosis among younger people than expected,” he said. “Sooner or later, the link between the vaccine and thrombotic side effects will be clarified by the EMA.” EMA, which is conducting a related investigation, is expected to release the results of an additional investigation on the 7th or 8th.
Earlier last month, when a blood clot was reported in Europe after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine, and the vaccination was discontinued in more than 20 countries, EMA released the results of an investigation that “AZ vaccine is safe and effective.” In addition, he reaffirmed the existing position that the vaccine could continue to be vaccinated, saying, “There is no association between the vaccine and the risk of causing blood clots.”
However, as EMA mentions the relationship between vaccine and thrombosis, it seems that the domestic second quarter vaccination plan will inevitably be revised. According to the government’s vaccination plan, the number of AZ vaccinations in the second quarter was about 7.75 million, or 67% of the total 2Q vaccinations.
Kim Pyo-hyang reporter [email protected]
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