Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
It's Too Soon To Know If AstraZeneca's Shot Caused Blood Clots, Experts Say
The Washington Post: AstraZeneca And Blood Clots: Without Causality, Experts Say Reports Shouldn’t Rule Out A Vaccine
Amid growing concerns about reports of blood clots among AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine recipients, health experts are urging the public not to jump to conclusions about any vaccine’s safety based solely on reports of adverse events and in the absence of further research. “A vaccine is designed to prevent a certain kind of thing — prevent an infection or prevent disease,” said Susan Ellenberg, a professor of biostatistics, medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. “It’s not going to prevent every bad thing that could possibly happen to anybody, so when a vaccine is widely used, all the other kinds of bad things that could happen to people are still going to happen. (Chiu, 3/15)
CNBC: Doctors Baffled As Countries Suspend Use Of AstraZeneca Vaccine Over Blood Clot Fears
Health experts say they are disappointed and confused by the flurry of suspensions of the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, warning there is not yet enough data to justify these decisions. Sweden and Latvia on Tuesday joined a fast-growing list of European countries suspending the use of the vaccine as a precautionary measure following reports of blood clots. Germany, France, Italy and Spain on Monday said they would all stop administering the shot. (Meredith, 3/16)
The New York Times: Should You Be Concerned About Blood Clots, Bleeding And The AZ-Vaccine?
Dr. David Wohl, director of the vaccine clinic at the University of North Carolina, said he had seen no evidence that any of the Covid vaccines had caused blood clots, also called thrombosis, in the large clinical trials that led to their authorization. But Dr. Wohl also noted, “There are differences between trials and real life.” (Grady and Robbins, 3/15)
CNBC: ‘The Damage Is Done’: Europe’s Caution Over AstraZeneca Vaccine Could Have Far-Reaching Consequences
The decision by many European countries to suspend the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus shot could have far-reaching consequences, according to analysts, with vaccine uptake and the wider immunization program already lagging in the region. Sweden and Latvia on Tuesday became the latest countries to suspend the use of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine over blood clot concerns. (Ellyatt, 3/16)
Axios: What's Going On With The AstraZeneca Vaccine
The big picture: This is arguably the most important vaccine in the world in the near term. Around 3 billion doses have been reserved to date, and more than half are destined for developing countries. ... In the U.S., which ordered 300 million doses, the vaccine has still yet to be approved. AstraZeneca’s U.S. trial was paused for seven weeks last fall. Concerns about the company's trials intensified after it emerged that some British participants had been mistakenly given a half-strength dose (surprisingly, they had better results). (Lawler, 3/15)
Stat: The Curious Case Of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 Vaccine
AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine is facing a crisis of confidence, with one European country after another, as if seized by a fit of panic, temporarily suspending its use over concerns about reports of blood clots in people who received it. Denmark, Iceland, and Norway had earlier said they would temporarily stop using the two-dose vaccine. On Sunday, Ireland announced a similar decision. France, Germany, and Italy followed on Monday. (Herper, 3/15)
