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EU drug regulator says AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is ‘safe and effective’

FILE - In this Monday, March 15, 2021 file photo a vial of AstraZeneca vaccine is pictured in a pharmacy in Boulogne Billancourt, outside Paris. At least a dozen countries including Germany, France, Italy and Spain have now temporarily suspended their use of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine after reports last week that some people in Denmark and Norway who got a dose developed blood clots, even though there's no evidence that the shot was responsible. The European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization say the data available don't suggest the vaccine caused the clots and that people should continue to be immunized. Here's a look at what we know — and what we don't.(AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)
by: WRTV Staff
Posted: / Updated:

LONDON (AP) — The European Union’s drug regulatory agency says experts have concluded that the AstraZeneca vaccine is not linked to an overall increase in the risk of blood clots and that the benefits of use outweigh the risks.

The head of the European Medicines Agency, Emer Cooke says the vaccine is “safe and effective.”

The finding from the EMA could open the way for European countries that had suspended the use of the vaccine over the past week to resume dispensing the shots. Nearly a dozen countries around the world had paused their vaccination efforts using the AstraZeneca vaccine.

However, some health experts worry about the damage to trust in the vaccine that has already been done by the pausing of vaccinations and investigation.

Experts from Norway said their investigation into three cases of unusual blood clots among vaccinated health care workers found the clots were likely caused by an immune response to the vaccine, according to the Washington Post.

The agency said it cannot completely rule out the rare blood clot cases, and said they will include the possible side effect in vaccine information and raise awareness.

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