COVID-19: EU adds 'severe allergic reactions' to AstraZeneca's vaccine side-effects

The European Union (EU) drug regulator said on March 12 that severe allergies should be added to the potential side effects of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine after several links were found to a number of cases in Britain. The development regarding AstraZeneca jabs came a day after the European Medicines Agency said that it was investigating cases of blood clots that prompted Denmark, Iceland and others to suspend the use of the COVID-19 vaccine but said that it was safe to use. 

Concluding a four-day meet from the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC), the Amsterdam-based EMA said on Friday that it had "recommended an update to the product information to include anaphylaxis and hypersensitivity (allergic reactions) as side effects". In the highlights of the EMA committee, the agency said, “he update is based on a review of 41 reports of possible anaphylaxis seen among around 5 million vaccinations in the United Kingdom.”

“After careful review of the data, (the committee) considered that a link to the vaccine was likely in at least some of these cases,” EMA added before noting that that anaphylaxis or “severe allergic reactions” was already a “known side effect that may occur, very rarely, with vaccines".

WHO Backs AstraZeneca's COVID-19 Vaccine

Meanwhile, in regard to the blood clot fears among the European nations, the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 12 said that there was no reason as of now for nations to suspend the use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine as several European nations halted its roll-out. United Nations (UN) health agency spokesperson Margaret Harris told the reporters that “Yes, we should continue using the AstraZeneca vaccine” and added, “There is no indication to not use it.”

The reassurance from WHO over AstraZeneca jabs amid the COVID-19 pandemic came as most recently, Denmark, Iceland and Norway suspended the use of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine even as the European Union (EU) medical regulator investigates whether the shot could be linked to the several reports of blood clots. Denmark had announced a 14-day suspension on Thursday after at least one fatal case, among others of blood clots. Similarly, Iceland and Norway followed suit without mentioning how long the suspension would last.