March 16, 2021 12.59 pm This story is over 51 months old

COVID vaccines save lives: Stopping rollout ideas “extremely worrying”

“Incorrect decision” to suspend AstraZeneca vaccine
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Lincolnshire’s health bosses said the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and “saves lives” after several European countries stopped administering it over blood clot concerns.

The World Health Organisation is meeting today to review the vaccine after 11 European countries halted the roll-out due to a number oc cases of blood clots – however, UK regulators and the WHO itself has previously said there is “no evidence” of a link.

Lincolnshire County Council’s assistant director for public health Andy Fox said the temporary bans were “mind-boggling”.

“We have proof that the vaccine saves lives, that is proven beyond all doubt scientifically,” he said.

“It’s safe and effective and is our way out of this, I would encourage everybody, everybody, no matter who they are, if they’re offered the vaccine jump at the chance and go and get vaccinated.”

He added there was “absolutely no evidence of any link with blood clots”.

“It doesn’t take more than a cursory look at the number of cases they are reporting […] to see we’re talking about a handful of cases.

He said there was an incidence rate of deep vein thrombosis of one in 1,000 – meaning that in the 24 million doses given so far there should have been 24,000 people who “coincidentally” developed DVT.

“There were 24 million doses given, pretty much anything that can happen to a human being will have happened to someone after getting the vaccine, it does not mean the vaccine caused it.

“For people to be seriously suggesting that the vaccine programme should be stopped, given that the vaccine programme saves lives. I find extremely worrying.”

“I’m so clear that it is an incorrect decision of these other countries have made to stop the vaccination programme with this vaccine that is safe and effective and it could potentially cost lives, to stop vaccinating people.”