Coronavirus: European countries resume AstraZeneca jabs after all-clear from EU regulators
- France, Germany and Italy will use the jab again after the European Medicines Agency said it was ‘safe and effective’
- Meanwhile, the US is approaching its 100 millionth vaccine dose amid falling infection rates
Days of commotion around AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine, over fears it may cause blood clots, saw countries from Venezuela to Indonesia pause its use in a major setback for the drive to vaccinate populations against a virus that has killed nearly 2.7 million people.
France, Germany and Italy – all countries attempting to fight off a third wave of the coronavirus – announced they were using the jab again as of Friday after the European Medicines Agency said it was “safe and effective”.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex received the AstraZeneca shot on Friday at a hospital in Paris, in an event that was broadcast live on French TV as part of efforts to restore public confidence in the vaccine.
Johnson, 56, told a Downing Street press conference on Thursday: “The Oxford jab is safe and the Pfizer jab is safe. The thing that isn’t safe is catching Covid, which is why it is so important that we all get our jabs as soon as our turn comes.”
03:34
Thai leader cancels his vaccination at last minute as nation delays AstraZeneca roll-out
Millions across France were preparing to enter a new month-long, limited lockdown from Saturday after the country recorded its highest new caseload in nearly four months.