A bottle of the AstraZeneca vaccine is displayed in London. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
By KHRISNA RUSSELL
Tribune Chief Reporter
krussell@tribunemedia.net
WHILE a growing number of European countries have suspended use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine over concerns it may cause blood clots, Bahamian officials have defended the shot as “safe.”
In an interview yesterday, Dr Nikkiah Forbes, director of the National HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Programme, contended that so far there has been no indication of a link between the vaccine and blood clots.
In view of this, she said, use of the jab should continue.
Several countries, including Denmark, Norway, Bulgaria, the Republic of Ireland and Iceland have suspended the use of the British-made vaccine out of fears people who received it have had blood clots. As a result the European Medicines Agency began investigating this issue after around 30 people out of five million reported having the issue. This works out to about 0.0006 percent of people or one in 167,000.
The numbers suggest that 4,999,970 out of the 5m did not get blood clots – over 99.99 per cent, according to international reports.
“This vaccine is safe,” Dr Forbes said yesterday. She was also among 110 people who received the shot on Sunday during a pilot programme held at Loyola Hall on Sunday.
She continued: “The World Health Organisation on Friday past came out and said there was no risk from taking the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and said that there is no clear evidence of a link (to blood clots).
“So, what we have to know is that blood clots are not uncommon and when the safety information for this vaccine candidate was looked at as a matter of the number of persons who reported getting clots it is less than the general population in this vaccinated group.
“At this time the European Medicines Agency has said that there is no indication of a link between the vaccine and blood clots and that the AstraZeneca vaccine can continue to be used and that there are global advisories on vaccine safety.
“It’s just due diligence and so even these countries that have paused have said that they are not seeing that there is a causal relationship. They are reviewing it.
“So, it should continue until there is a causal relationship. There are many countries that have not halted their vaccination plan.
“You always have to know whether or not there is a causal relationship or just a coincidence and there is no clear evidence that there is.”
After receiving the vaccine Sunday, Dr Forbes said she feels “fine” and is encouraged about the way forward for the country and Bahamians.
Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said similarly that the vaccine is safe after he too was administered the shot on Sunday. Speaking at a pastoral installation at a local church, Dr Minnis reminded those gathered that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has already been given to millions of people.
The vaccines used over the weekend were a part of 20,000 doses, which were a gift from the Indian government, that arrived last Wednesday.
Dr Minnis said: “India has one of the largest pharmaceutical industries in the world and has graciously given 500,000 doses to the Caribbean.
“Indeed, many of our HIV/AIDS drugs are produced in India. The vaccines we received are approved by the World Health Organisation. They have also received certification from the Caribbean Regulatory System.
“They have been scientifically tested. They have already been given to millions of people. They are safe.”
Last week, the Ministry of Health advised that the batch received from India is different from the batch reportedly used in the affected countries.
“The AstraZeneca vaccine received by The Bahamas has met all of the requirements and standards as outlined in the World Health Organisation’s pre-qualification system, which has provided emergency use listing. The vaccine has also received Caribbean Regulatory System certification,” the ministry said.
“The Ministry of Health assures the public that COVID-19 vaccines received by The Bahamas will continue to meet the stringent regulatory approval standards stated above.”
Amid the concerns, AstraZeneca released a statement on Sunday night saying there had only been 37 blood clot related events of 17 million people who received the jabs in the United Kingdom and the European Union.
The drug company said there had been 15 cases of deep vein thrombosis, which usually affects the legs, and 22 pulmonary embolisms, which are blood clots in the lungs.
Comments
John 3 years, 7 months ago
US news is reporting that the recent spike in Corona cases can be due to the significant increase in travel as thousands of college students head home and to other destinations for Spring Break. This week saw one of the largest increases in air since the pandemic began and authorities expect more increases n Corona numbers as students flock to party destinations , including Florida beaches. Some states have already relaxed mandatory mask wearing laws and other safety measures as corona numbers have dropped significantly since January. The Bahamas too may see increases in tourist numbers during the Spring Break and Easter seasons but can I’ll afford another surge in corona cases.
tribanon 3 years, 7 months ago
Tourists, especially spring breakers, are not travelling to the Bahamas because its now much too difficult and expensive to do. You should be much more concerned by our country becoming a failed state as Florida continues to enjoy a tourism bonanza.
GodSpeed 3 years, 7 months ago
Who cares what the fake news corporate media is reporting. They've been whining about "super spreader" events since last year, but when it's BLM riots and BLM protests with tens of thousands of people in the streets or celebrating Biden's stolen election in the streets, then they change the narrative and Covid suddenly doesn't exist. So let the Spring Breakers party and remove the Covid restrictions completely. It's all a sham.
GodSpeed 3 years, 7 months ago
Yeah sure it's safe, just causes blood clots, cancer false positives, HIV false positives, breast cancer false positive, Bell's palsy and sometimes death like with the young lady in this story: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/utah-…
And that's just the stuff we know about. Seems like it completely wreaks havoc on your body I'd day. Who knows what it will do long term? Nobody tested it to know what it will do long term, the test is on us. Nobody gives a damn if you get sick or die from this bioweapon. They'll just say you died from Covid. There will be no money paid to families that lose loved ones and the pharmaceutical companies make lots of money, they win. All of this for a virus with a 99.9%+ survivability rate. Not taking the shot!
tribanon 3 years, 7 months ago
Minnis and our health officials would have us believe that the health experts in most European countries, the latest being Italy, have needlessly suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for public safety reasons given their concerns about possible harmful side-effects, including potentially deadly blood clots.
It seems the sinister Communist Chinese Party (CCP) is clearly exerting undue influence over our health officials through the W.H.O. and P.A.H.O., both of which are now firmly under the control of the CCP. And we all know Minnis will do anything to try save his political hide, even if it means carrying plenty of water for these very same CCP controlled global health organizations that are known to be responsible, through dereliction of duty, for the initial early spread of the COVID-19 virus from Communist China to the rest of the world.
We really must start asking ourselves how is it Minnis can be so much under the influence of the CCP. What carrot is the evil Xi Jinping-led CCP dangling in front of Minnis's eyes?
GodSpeed 3 years, 7 months ago
Yes, Minnis and our health officials just obey whatever the unelected global overlords and the CCP says. They're either fully onboard or stupid.
JokeyJack 3 years, 7 months ago
You mean they are "claiming without evidence" about blood clots just like they did with the election in Nov? LOL Whenever somebody says something you don't like just say they are claiming without evidence :-)
tribanon 3 years, 7 months ago
People vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine have either died or become seriously ill from blood clots in many of the developed countries that have suspended its use. The number of identified instances must have been statistically significant from a public safety standpoint otherwise these countries would not have taken such a drastic measure given the many deaths they have experienced thus far from the COVID-19 virus itself.
bahamianson 3 years, 7 months ago
No evidence shows.....wow, we still have not learned from past experiences. i am not a conspiracy theorist, but i know not to put my foot in my mouth. There was no evidence that the corona virus was harmful to us in february of last year , also. There was no evidence that we needed to wear masks in February as well. Now, there is evidence that the corona virus was a problem. The WHO said that we didnot have to worry about corona in February of last year also. Stop putting your foot in your mouth. Is it because you are so young? Anything is possible, but we do what we have to do.
ThisIsOurs 3 years, 7 months ago
It does seem disingenuous for them to claim that there's no evidence of a link and then conclude that it means the vaccine is safe. The correct answer is "we don't know". But I suppose it would be suicide for a medical practitioner at the head of a vaccination effort to say that.
Theres another distinction that they're trying to make, well this vaccine is from a different manufacturer than the vaccine countries are dropping. So far I haven't heard anyone say it's a completely different formula. If it's the same formula, does it matter who manufactured it? Its obfuscation like this that make people wary.
ohdrap4 3 years, 7 months ago
right. and , after they use up the 20000, the second jab comes from a different manufacturer.
SP 3 years, 7 months ago
Coconut water, lime juice, a splash of gin and vitamin D probably has more efficacy than this vaccine! Given their history of scamming the masses, trusting big pharma is not an option!
tribanon 3 years, 7 months ago
Add a daily 50 mg dose of Zinc for good measure.
WETHEPEOPLE 3 years, 7 months ago
Crisper trials
tom1912 3 years, 7 months ago
Oh dear what a lot of Foolishness is being spouted on this topic. Let's have some genuine factvbase options
The evidence is that there are no more blood clots happening as is normal for a given population in non covid times.
In the U.K. there has been only 30 cases of blood clots for every 1,000,000 million of the population injected no more than there would be if they were not injected.
The Oxford / Astra Zeneca trials funny enough showed that there were more occurrence of blood clots with the those who were given the placebo!
Astra Zeneca, certainly were selling the does at cost in the U.K. as the Oxford researchers were subsidised by the UK Government!
As to the Europeans, well Geopoliticals enter the arena, the EU having cocked up their procurment of vaccines never mind the loose and late contract arrangement they made with Astra Zeneca a "U.K" - Swedish company and the success of the UK vaccine roll out as apposed to the dismal efforts of the Europeans, the general feeling is that the various European leaders jump on the blood clot nonsense to cover their backsides with the implication that they were being cautious even though the odds of dying in Europe of Covid 19 is far greater than any blood clots! The updated news is that the European country leaders are backing down and will start using the vaccine unfortunately they have scared the population with their pontification to the extent they will be reluctant again ( It happened when Macron opened his mouth with total rubbish)
tribanon 3 years, 7 months ago
And you would have us believe that you know better than all of the highly qualified health experts in the many developed countries that have suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for public safety reasons pending the outcome of appropriate investigations and studies. LOL
Minnis should have immediately suspended the use of the freebie India made and supplied AstraZeneca vaccine sponsored and promoted by the Communist China controlled W.H.O. But power-juiced Minnis is just much too concerned about his own political fate to be the least bit concerned about the potential harmful side-effects of 'his' freebie vaccine on his lowly plebes.
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