Why Europe ’s AstraZeneca Vaccine Woes Are a Problem for the World

Plenty of drama in Europe this past week as the AstraZeneca vaccine—a crucial component of the continent’s vaccination plans—was paused by more than a dozen European countries after a few reports emerged of blood clots in people after receiving the vaccine. Europe’s FDA equivalent, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), says that it is still “safe and effective” and “its benefits… outweigh the possible risks,” even if they are unable to completely rule out a link between the vaccine and a very rare clotting disorder. But it’s the vaccine politics that are the problem now, and no EMA ruling can overcome that. That will have ramifications for both Europe’s vaccination drive… and the rest of the world’s. Why It Matters: It is no secret that Europe’s stumbling vaccination efforts leave much to be desired. Even before this week’s headlines, Europe was struggling to procure enough vaccines to jab Europeans at a quick enough clip to avoid a third pandemic wave, while Paris and parts of France lockdown again this past weekend. While AstraZeneca was an important component of Europe’s vaccination plans, it was not the be-all or end-all of those efforts—the efficacy rates were lower than its mRNA competitors like Pfizer and Moderna for the shots to be many people’s first choice, exacerbated by the fact that disparate clinical trials of the AstraZeneca vaccine were conducted in su...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 Source Type: news