French drug agency says AstraZeneca vaccine should continue to be used

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FILE PHOTO: A member of the medical staff vaccinates a man with a dose of the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine during a visit by French Health Minister Olivier Veran at the South Ile-de-France Hospital Group, in Melun, on the outskirts of Paris, France February 8, 2021. Thomas Samson/Pool via REUTERS

PARIS (Reuters) – The French drug regulator ANSM said on Friday it agreed with the European Medicines Agency’s advice that AstraZeneca’s coronavirus shot should continue to be used in vaccination campaigns.

Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Bulgaria have suspended the use of the shot following reports of blood clots in some people who had been vaccinated.

EMA has said the number of clots is no higher than in the general population, and AstraZeneca said on Thursday it had found no evidence of increased risk of deep-vein thrombosis.

ANSM said only one case of blood clotting had been found in France after an AstraZeneca shot, and there was no indication that it was linked to the vaccine.

“The benefit/risk ratio of the vaccine remains positive”, ANSM said on its website.

The agency said it was evaluating the safety of all COVID-19 vaccines available in France and actively monitoring their side-effects.

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