Romania will continue its vaccine rollout with AstraZeneca for all age groups, the government said Thursday.
Vaccine czar Valeriu Gheorghita made the announcement following conclusions reached by the European Medicines Agency about the link between AstraZeneca jabs and blood clots.
AstraZeneca
The EMA said Wednesday that the unusual blood clots suffered by numerous people around Europe should be considered as rare side effects of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine, but that overall the benefits of the jab outweigh the risk.
”People who’ve received the first shot will get a booster,” Dr. Gheorghita said. ”People who have had blood clots … should get a vaccine from another company.”
He said the government would publish guidelines about when to seek medical help after a vaccine.
Breathing difficulties
He said people should call a doctor if they experience breathing difficulties, chest pain, swelling, and headaches that don’t respond to normal treatment or blurred vision.
Romania is also using Covid-19 Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines.
Some 2.2 million people in Romania have received at least one jab according to figures published Tuesday.
Side effects
The EMA advised that the vaccine, which is developed with Oxford University, should continue to be used for all age groups but that people should be told of the possible rare side effects.
Earlier this week, the vaccine czar said that more than 200,000 people in Romania had canceled their AstraZeneca vaccine appointments and another 92,000 simply didn’t show up for their shots.
“It is a high percentage, a third of people scheduled who did not show up,” he said.
European Medicines Agency
„It is absolutely natural and legitimate for people to hesitate at this time,” he added. “We need more official information from the European Medicines Agency.”
“It is possible that the vaccine will not be recommended to people at risk of developing thrombotic reactions,” he added on April 6.
Romania has reported seven cases of people developing blood clots after Covid-19 vaccines. Three received AstraZeneca shots and four, Pfizer jabs. No link has been established with the vaccine, he said.
