March 31 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization said on
Wednesday it continues to monitor safety evidence reviews of
AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine but that the shot's benefit-risk
profile "weighs heavily in favour of its use" amid reports of
rare brain blood clots.
Alejandro Cravioto, chair of the WHO's Strategic Advisory
Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization, told a briefing the
panel was "comfortable" with the vaccine's use, since many of
the countries using it have safety warning signal systems in
place and are not reporting problems.
Many European countries briefly stopped using AstraZeneca's
COVID-19 vaccine earlier this month while their drug safety
authorities investigated rare cases of blood clots.
(Reporting by Kate Kelland in London and Stephanie Nebehay in
Geneva.)