DRC halts AstraZeneca vaccine rollout to investigate ‘side-effects’
Denmark, Norway, Bulgaria and Iceland have paused using the shot as a precaution over blood clot fears, but the WHO says the jab is safe.
A multidisciplinary team mandated by the Provincial Health Division put on personal protective equipment (PPE) in Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo on February 26, 2021. (Photo for illustration by Caroline Thirion / AFP)
The Democratic Republic of Congo had received 1.7 million doses of the vaccine against Covid-19 made by Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and was due to start its campaign on March 15.
“As a precautionary measure, we decided to postpone the date for the launch of vaccination in the DRC,” Health Minister Eteni Longondo said in a statement.
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Denmark, Norway, Bulgaria and Iceland have paused using the shot as a precaution over blood clot fears and an Indian official on Saturday said the country would carry out a deeper review of its post-vaccination side effects.
The World Health Organization has said that no causal link has been established between the AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clotting.
The company says the jab is safe and that “no evidence” exists of higher risk of blood clots.
The DR Congo minister said the new date for the vaccination campaign would be announced shortly, after results of the national and international investigations were available.
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