by Danny KEMP THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — Blood clots should be listed as a “very rare” side effect of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine but its benefits still outweigh the risks, the EU’s drug watchdog said Tuesday. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said in a statement that it had found a “possible link” between the J&J jab and the clots, following eight such cases in the United States, one of which was fatal. […]
Tag: EU
Australia blames EU supply issues for slow vaccine rollout
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s prime minister on Wednesday blamed restricted vaccine supply from Europe for his country’s halting coronavirus inoculation efforts, as he faced growing public frustration over the sluggish rollout. Scott Morrison said vaccine shortages and “strict export controls” introduced by the European Commission meant Australia received just 700,000 of a contracted 3.8 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. His government, which received global praise for successfully containing Australia’s coronavirus outbreak, has […]
EU squabbles over 10 million doses of Pfizer vaccine
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — EU nations fell out Thursday over how to divide up 10 million extra doses of coronavirus vaccine with Austria, Slovenia and the Czech Republic refusing to help five struggling countries. A deal was agreed late in the day to distribute nearly three million doses to “those most in need”, said Portugal, which holds the rotating European Union presidency. But Austria, Slovenia and the Czechs had insisted on receiving their full quota […]
WHO experts give nod to China jabs, Sinovac and Sinopharm, boosting global vaccine drive
by Nina Larson and Robin Millard, with AFP bureaus Agence France Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Two Chinese coronavirus jabs are safe and effective, WHO experts said Wednesday after reviewing partial data, providing a potential boost to countries from Australia to Europe struggling to roll out vaccines fast enough. Fewer than 600 million jabs have been given out across the world, three months after vaccination programmes began in earnest in Western countries and leaders […]
Myanmar military brass hit with new US, EU sanctions over coup
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — The European Union and the United States slapped sanctions Monday on top police and military commanders linked to last month’s coup in Myanmar, as pro-democracy demonstrators went back to the streets in defiance of a violent crackdown on protest. The junta is increasingly using deadly force to crush activists who have risen up against the military’s ousting of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1. In a bid […]
OPINION: Inequity and inequality in the time of Covid-19
By Dr. Ma. Angela Leonor Aguinaldo Contributor/ columnist A few days ago the BBC made a startling revelation about the earnest efforts of developed nations such as the UK, US, and the European Union to block vaccine plans for developing countries. As reported, although these richer nations are posturing themselves to be at the forefront of pushing for global solutions to the worldwide pandemic, in truth there is a conscious and massive effort to […]
EU warns it will block AstraZeneca vaccine exports
by Marc BURLEIGH / Dave CLARK Agence France Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — The European Union warned Thursday that it will ban drugs firms from exporting coronavirus vaccines to the UK and other countries until they make good on their promised deliveries to the bloc. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen’s stark warning — which could hit UK-based AstraZeneca first — came after a video summit of all 27 EU leaders and stoked fears […]
EU limits vaccine exports as US sees health gains for elderly
by Agence France Presse Bureaus BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — The European Union on Wednesday tightened vaccine export controls in a bid to ramp up its stuttering inoculation campaign while the United States said its inoculation drive was already showing results for over-65s. Under the EU’s new rules, the bloc’s European Commission executive will weigh how needy countries are as well as how readily they export doses to the EU before approving shipments. “Open roads […]
EU to tighten export rules to stop one-way flow of vaccines
by Dave CLARK Agence France Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — The European Commission will tighten its export guidelines on Wednesday to prevent what it sees as an unfair one-way flow of vaccines, according to a draft seen by AFP. Brussels has been infuriated that Britain has laid claim to vaccines produced at a plant in the Netherlands by AstraZeneca, while the UK-based firm falls short on deliveries promised to the EU. While negotiations with […]
Poll shows plunge in Europeans’ trust in AstraZeneca jab
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Trust in AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine in many European countries has plunged following controversy around the jab in recent weeks, according to a new survey unveiled Monday by British pollsters YouGov. A majority of people in the biggest European Union member states, including Germany, France, Spain and Italy, now see the inoculation as unsafe, the recent poll found. However, views of the Anglo-Swedish pharma giant’s jab remain overwhelming positive in […]
Norway probes blood clot cases after jab suspension
OSLO, Norway (AFP) — Norwegian health officials reported three more cases of blood clots or brain haemorrhages in younger people who received the AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab, but said they could not yet say they were vaccine-related. The Norwegian Medicines Agency said similar incidents had been reported in other European countries. While there was no proof of a link to the vaccine, anyone under 50 who felt unwell and developed large blue patches after vaccination should […]
Sputnik V makers demand apology from EU medicines agency
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — The makers of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine Tuesday demanded an apology from the EU’s medicines regulator after a senior official warned member states against hastily authorising the jab, comparing emergency rollouts to “Russian roulette”. Several EU countries have already begun distributing Sputnik V ahead of approval in the bloc, a move criticised by board chair of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) Christa Wirthumer-Hoche Monday. “We demand a public apology from […]





