ETHIOPIA. Addis Ababa: Many nations have suspended the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine as there are concerns that it may cause blood clots.
And on March 16, the Africa Centres for Disease Control (Africa CDC) said it is reviewing its guidance of the vaccine.
Despite several European countries suspending the roll-out of the vaccine many African nations continue to administer the jab.
Africa CDC Director John Nkengasong said: “The AstraZeneca vaccine was seen to be safe and efficacious and we would need to review the data. We should guide the response with strong science and evidence.”
See Also: Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine Under Investigation: Some EU Countries Suspend The Use As A Precaution
He said the organization was convening an emergency meeting on Tuesday afternoon to look at the data and provide guidance.
Many African countries are relying on the AstraZeneca vaccine as it is cheaper and easier to store. Malawi for example is currently running a nationwide vaccination campaign sorely using the AstraZeneca.
Under the Covax initiative, around 14,5 million doses have been delivered to African countries.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the only African nation to postpone the start of its AstraZeneca vaccination campaign over blood clot fear. South Africa did the same over efficacy issues with the COVID-19 new variant.
The DRC received 1.7 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and was due to start its rollout on Monday.
Meanwhile, health authorities in Uganda and Nigeria said they believe the vaccine is safe. This is the same with their Malawian counterparts.
The World Health Organization said there is no evidence of a link but is reviewing the situation.
The Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca insists the jab is safe and that there is no evidence of the vaccine causing blood clots.
