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GENEVA/ZURICH, March 15 (Reuters) - The World Health
Organization's director general said on Monday that systems
meant to protect public health were working, as several
countries suspended use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19
vaccine to investigate possible side-effects.
"This does not necessarily mean these events are linked to
COVID-19 vaccination, but it's routine practice to investigate
them, and it shows that the surveillance system works and that
effective controls are in place," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
said during a virtual media briefing.
A WHO advisory committee plans to meet on Tuesday to discuss
the vaccine, which Germany, France and Italy said on Monday they
were pausing after several countries reported serious conditions
in people who had received the shot.
Denmark and Norway had stopped giving the shot last week
after reporting isolated cases of blood clots, bleeding or a low
platelet count. Iceland and Bulgaria followed suit and Ireland
and the Netherlands announced suspensions on Sunday.
Even so, the top WHO scientist reiterated on Monday that
there had been no documented deaths linked to COVID-19 vaccines.
"We do not want people to panic," WHO chief scientist Soumya
Swaminathan told the briefing, adding that no association had so
far been found between the "thromboembolic events" reported in
some countries and COVID-19 shots.
Even as some countries suspend AstraZeneca's shot, others
are continuing its use as the WHO and other bodies say the
benefits continue to outweigh any risks.
The United Kingdom, where the AstraZeneca vaccine was
developed in partnership with Oxford University, says it has no
concerns, while the drugmaker has said a review of safety data
has shown no evidence of an increased risk of blood
clots.
(Reporting by John Miller and Silke Koltrowitz in Zurich,
Stephanie Nebehay and Emma Farge in Geneva; Editing by Kevin
Liffey)
