Politics of vaccination: Kenyan medics, cops, teachers suffer no blood clot

There seems to be no consensus among nations over the use of AstraZeneca/Oxford University vaccine which has been faulted for causing blood clots in some quarters.

United Kingdom is the latest nation to give the vaccine a green light, even as the number of countries that have suspended the roll-out of the jab hitting 13 in the European Union.

UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency on March 16 ruled out blood clots as an adverse side effect of the vaccine.

Phil Bryan, the agency’s vaccines safety lead, said: “It is still the case that it has not been confirmed the reported blood clots were caused by the Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca. Blood clots can occur naturally and are not uncommon.”

He added: “The benefits of the vaccine in preventing Covid-19, with its associated risk of hospitalisation and death, far outweigh the risks of side effects. People should go and get their Covid-19 vaccine when asked to do so.”

The stand by the UK is based on data collected through ‘yellow card’, which is a platform where people can voluntarily report side effects of Covid-19 jabs.

As of February 28, for the UK, 33,207 Yellow Cards were reported for the Pfizer/BioNTech, another 54,180 for the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine, and 251 where the brand of the vaccine was not specified.

From clinical trials of AstraZeneca/Oxford University, the most frequent adverse reactions were injection site tenderness and pain, headache, fatigue, myalgia, malaise, fever, chills arthralgia and nausea which were reported in more than one in 10 persons.

Adverse reaction

The findings add that adverse reaction reported after second dose were milder and reported less frequently than after the first dose. Additionally, adverse reactions were generally milder and reported less frequently in older adults (65 years and older) than in younger people.

Reports on the Yellow Card list injection-site reactions and generalised symptoms such as ‘flu-like’ illness, headache, chills, fatigue (tiredness), nausea (feeling sick), fever, dizziness, weakness, aching muscles, and rapid heartbeat.

“It is important to note that Yellow Card data cannot be used to derive side effect rates or compare the safety profile of Covid-19 vaccinations, as many factors can influence Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) reporting,” reads the update by the UK agency dated March 11.

The agency says these (reactions) happen shortly after the vaccination and are not associated with more serious or lasting illness.

“These types of reactions reflect the normal immune response triggered by the body to the vaccines. They are typically seen with most types of vaccine and tend to resolve within a day or two,” it adds.

Kenya is yet to report any case of blood clots from the doses of AstraZeneca/Oxford University being administered among healthcare workers, military officers, national police, and teachers.

It is, however, unlikely that such side effects will be reported, considering Kenya’s AstraZeneca/Oxford University vaccines are manufactured in India by the Serum Institute of India, specifically for low and middle-income countries.

The government, as well, has not confirmed if any of the batches linked to the side effect is in the country.

“Let us subdue the notion that it has been stopped, it has been suspended to carry out investigations to see if there is a link between the vaccine and the side effects,” said Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe when he received more doses of the vaccine from India.

Sweden and Latvia are the latest countries to pause the use of the vaccine this week. Others that suspended use of the jab last week are Norway, Austria and Denmark. A 35-year-old woman in Austria reportedly died after getting a second dose of the AstraZeneca/Oxford University jab.

Unacceptable for a jab

The Danish authority, while pausing the roll-out, described the side effects reported as unacceptable for a vaccine that is a preventive treatment.

“It is important to stress that we are by no means discarding the AstraZeneca vaccine. We are merely stopping using it for the time being. There is strong evidence that the vaccine is both safe and efficacious. However, the Danish Health Authority and the Danish Medicines Agency have to react promptly to reports from Denmark and other European countries of possible severe side effects. This is a clear indication that the monitoring system works,” said Brostrøm, Director General of the Danish Health Authority, in a statement published by the Danish Health Authority.

However, the World Health Organisation, in a statement that acknowledged the reports, said no death has so far been confirmed as an adverse side effect of the jab.

“Vaccination against Covid-19 will not reduce deaths from other causes. Deaths from other causes will continue to occur, including after vaccination, but causally unrelated,” read a statement by WHO’s Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety.