The Latest: European regulator to explain blood clot probe
The European Medicines Agency will announce the conclusions of its investigation into the possible connection between AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine and rare blood clots
April 7, 2021, 10:50 AM
13 min read
Share to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleElle Taylor, 24, an unpaid carer from Ammanford, receives the first injection of the Moderna vaccine to be administered in Britain by nurse Laura French, at the West Wales General Hospital in Carmarthen, Wales, Wednesday April 7, 2021. The Moderna vaccine is the third vaccine to be approved for use in the UK, which is to be given to patients in Wales from Wednesday, and the UK has so far ordered 17 million doses of the Moderna jab. (Jacob King/Pool via AP)
LONDON — The European Medicines Agency will announce the conclusions of its investigation into the possible connection between AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine and rare blood clots later Wednesday.
On Tuesday, a senior EMA official said there was a causal link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and the rare blood clots that have been seen in dozens of people worldwide, among the tens of millions who have received at least one dose.
In comments to Rome’s Il Messaggero newspaper, Marco Cavaleri, head of health threats and vaccine strategy at the Amsterdam-based agency, said “it is becoming more and more difficult to affirm that there isn’t a cause-and-effect relationship between AstraZeneca vaccines and the very rare cases of blood clots associated with a low level of platelets.”
But Cavaleri acknowledged the agency had not yet figured out how exactly the vaccine might be causing these rare side effects.
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THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:
— Europe's EMA drug regulator to announce the results of its probe into any ties between the AstraZeneca vaccine and rare blood clots.
— The City of London reimages work spaces after the pandemic
— Even as many U.S. states and schools reopen, many students still learn remotely
— Nearly half of new US virus infections are in just five states
— North Korea tells WHO it’s still virus-free in latest report
— Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
TEHRAN — Iran has shattered its daily record for new coronavirus infections for the second consecutive day, with 20,954 new cases reported on Wednesday.
The country is in the midst of one of the most severe surges of the coronavirus to date, following a two-week public holiday for Nowruz, the Persian New Year, which drove millions to travel to vacation spots across the country and congregate in homes in defiance of government health guidelines.
For months, Iran has struggled to curb the worst outbreak of coronavirus in the Middle East. Wednesday’s case count brought the total number of infected to 1.98 million, according to official figures. Iran Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari says another 193 people had died in the past 24 hours, raising the country’s death toll to 63,699.
Wednesday’s infection count easily surpassed the previous record set Tuesday of 17,430 infections.
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LONDON — The U.K. is administering the first doses of the Moderna vaccine, the third authorized in the country against the coronavirus.
Patients at the West Wales General Hospital were receiving the jab on Wednesday. Britain has ordered 17 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, enough for 8.5 million people.
The rollout comes as the U.K. medical regulator investigates another vaccine, made by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, which has been given to more than 18 million people in Britain.
Several countries have restricted the AstraZeneca jab’s use in younger people while scientists investigate a small number of cases of rare blood clots in people who have received the vaccine.
Britain, which has ordered 100 million doses of the AstraZeneca shot, has not restricted its use, but its medical regulator is reviewing the evidence.
