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From the Liveblog of Wednesday, March 17, 2021

WHO reviewing data, recommends AstraZeneca COVID shots continue

By AFP 17 March 2021, 4:41 pm Edit

The World Health Organization says its experts are still reviewing safety data on the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine following concerns around blood clots but recommended that injection programs continue.

While millions of doses of the vaccine have been administered, small numbers of people have developed blood clots, prompting countries including the EU’s three largest nations — Germany, France and Italy — to suspend injections.

FILE – In this March 12, 2021, file photo, a health worker holds a bottle of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine with name Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha written on it, at Bamrasnaradura Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. In recent days, countries including Denmark, Ireland and Thailand have temporarily suspended their use of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine after reports that some people who got a dose developed blood clots, even though there’s no evidence that the shot was responsible. The European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization say the data available do not suggest the vaccine caused the clots. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

“The WHO Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety is carefully assessing the latest available safety data,” the UN health agency says in a statement. “At this time, WHO considers that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine outweigh its risks and recommends that vaccinations continue.”

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