Oxford's COVID vaccine excellent, not linked to clotting cases: WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) clarified on Friday (March 12) that Oxford-AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine is “excellent” and that it sees no reason to recommend stopping its use.

The WHO explanation came a day after several European countries suspended the roll-out over blood clot fears.

The WHO said its vaccines advisory committee has not found any link between the vaccine and clotting.

Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Italy and Romania postponed or limited the rollout of AstraZeneca vaccines after sporadic reports of vaccine takers developing blood clots.

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“AstraZeneca is an excellent vaccine, as are the other vaccines that are being used,” WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told media persons in Geneva on Friday.

“We’ve reviewed the data on deaths. There has been no death, to date, proven to have be caused by vaccination,” she added.

“Yes, we should continue using the AstraZeneca vaccine,” she added, stressing though that “any safety signal must be investigated.”

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“We must always ensure that we look for any safety signals when we roll out vaccines, and we must review them,” she said. “But there is no indication to not use it.”