Europe’s medicines watchdog on Tuesday said the benefits of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine continue to outweigh the risks after several countries halted its use due to concerns about blood clots.
The European Medicines Agency’s Executive Director Emer Cooke said it was carrying out a case-by-case evaluation of incidents and was expected to complete a review on Thursday.
The update from Cooke came after a French official expressed hope that European medical experts would clear up questions over the safety of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus shot this week, as experts warned the decision by major European states to stop using it posed a greater risk to public health.
In a co-ordinated step, the European Union’s largest members — Germany, France and Italy — suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine on Monday pending the outcome of an investigation by the bloc’s medicines regulator into isolated cases of bleeding, blood clots and low platelet counts.
They were joined by Sweden and Latvia on Tuesday, bringing to more than a dozen the number of EU countries that have acted since reports first emerged of thromboembolisms affecting people after they got the AstraZeneca shot.
The World Health Organization and European Medicines Agency have joined AstraZeneca in saying there is no proven link.
“The choice is a political one,” Nicola Magrini, the director general of Italy’s medicines authority AIFA, told daily la Repubblica in an interview.
Magrini called the AstraZeneca vaccine safe and said its benefit-to-risk ratio was “widely positive.” There have been eight deaths and four cases of serious side-effects following vaccinations in Italy, he said.
French Health Minister Olivier Veran also told reporters that the risk-reward ratio for the vaccine remained positive.
“We expect some kind of verdict from the European scientific community by Thursday afternoon, allowing us to resume the campaign,” Veran said. France’s vaccination chief Alain Fischer said he expected the suspension to be temporary.
Governments say they acted out of an abundance of caution, with German Health Minister Jens Spahn stating on Monday that the decision to suspend AstraZeneca was not political but based on expert advice.
He acted after Germany’s vaccine watchdog identified an unusual number of cases of a rare cerebral vein thrombosis. Out of 1.6 million people in Germany who had got the AstraZeneca shot, seven fell ill and three died.
The risk of dying of COVID-19 is still orders of magnitude greater, especially among those most vulnerable such as the elderly, said Dirk Brockmann, an epidemiologist at the Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases.
“In the risk groups the risk of dying of COVID is much, much higher. That means one is probably 100,000 times more likely to die of COVID than because of an AstraZeneca vaccine,” Brockmann told ARD public television.
In Thailand, meanwhile, the prime minister received an AstraZeneca shot at the start of the country’s use of the vaccine on Tuesday.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha receives an injection of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at the Government House in Bangkok on Tuesday. (Thailand Government House/Reuters)
“There are people who have concerns,” Prayuth Chan-ocha said after his vaccination. “But we must believe doctors, believe in our medical professionals.”
Thailand initially was the first country outside Europe to temporarily suspend using the AstraZeneca vaccine. But Thailand’s health authorities later decided to go ahead with it, with Prayuth and members of his cabinet receiving the first shots.
Indonesia suspended use of the vaccine on Monday, saying it was waiting for a full report from the World Health Organization regarding possible side effects.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday said that experts and Health Canada, “have spent an awful lot of time making sure every vaccine approved in Canada is both safe and effective.”
“The best vaccine for you to take is the very first one that is offered to you,” Trudeau said. “That’s how we get through this as quickly as possible and as safely as possible.”
National Advisory Committee on Immunization chair Dr. Caroline Quach-Thanh said Tuesday the panel is continually studying new reports and studies on the vaccines, including the recent reports in Europe about blood clots.
WATCH | Dr. Christopher Labos, a Montreal cardiologist with a degree in epidemiology, answers questions about the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine:
Dr. Christopher Labos, a Montreal cardiologist with a degree in epidemiology, clarifies details about the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine, and explains why he believes it’s safe. 5:04
–From Reuters, CBC News and The Canadian Press, last updated at 10:25 a.m. ET
What’s happening across Canada
WATCH | Ontario launches online vaccine booking system as concerns of 3rd wave grow:
Ontario’s provincial COVID-19 vaccine booking system launched to mixed reviews, with many saying they got an error message or waited in jammed phone queues. Meanwhile, doctors in the province raised concerns of a third wave of COVID-19 infections. 1:49
As of 10:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Canada had reported 914,026 cases of COVID-19, with 31,608 cases considered active. A CBC News tally of deaths stood at 22,506.
Health officials in Ontario on Tuesday reported 1,074 new cases of COVID-19 and 11 additional deaths. A provincial dashboard put the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations at 761, and listed 292 of those as being in intensive care units.
The latest update comes a day after the Ontario Hospital Association said that the province is now in a third wave of infections, citing data from a science advisory group that shows virus variant cases increasing and the number of patients in intensive care trending up.
“Strong adherence to public health measures is urgently needed to prevent overwhelming hospitals,” the hospital group said on Twitter.
But the province’s top doctor said Ontario “could be going into” a third wave but the extent of it is still developing.
“You can always tell you’re in it after it’s over,” Dr. David Williams said. “I would say we are into that base of a third wave. What does that mean, how big it is, that’s to be determined.”
In Atlantic Canada, there was just one new case reported on Monday. Health officials in New Brunswick said the travel-related case was in the Edmundston region. There were no new cases reported in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador, which as of Monday had gone three straight days without any new cases.
In Quebec, health officials reported 594 new COVID-19 cases and 10 additional deaths on Monday. Hospitalizations rose by six, to 553, and 96 people were in intensive care, a drop of four.
In the Prairie provinces, Manitoba reported 50 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday and no additional deaths. The province has seen 41 cases of variants of concern to date, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin said, noting that health officials are trying to limit transmission as they cautiously move forward with efforts to loosen restrictions.
“I think we are really getting aggressive with our case and contact investigations,” Roussin said at a briefing on Monday. “We are going to be treating most cases as if they were variants of concern until proven otherwise.”
WATCH | Prince Rupert, B.C., offers vaccines to all adults after spike in cases:
Burdened with a rising COVID-19 infection rate and few resources for acute care, the Prince Rupert, B.C., area is offering all adults a vaccine now, regardless of age. 2:02
British Columbia, meanwhile, reported 1,506 new COVID-19 cases since Friday. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says there were 10 COVID-19 deaths over the three-day period, bringing B.C.’s provincial death total to 1,407 people.
Across the North, there were no new cases reported in Nunavut,the Northwest Territories or Yukon.
–From CBC News and The Canadian Press, last updated at 10:30 a.m. ET
What’s happening around the world
Senior citizens receive doses of the Chinese-made Sinopharm vaccine at a vaccination centre settled inside an Expo Centre in Lahore, Pakistan on Tuesday. (Arif Ali/AFP/Getty Images)
As of early Tuesday morning, more than 120.2 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, with 68.2 million cases listed on the Johns Hopkins University tracking site as recovered. The death toll stood at more than 2.6 million.
In the Americas, the United States should respond by Friday to Mexico’s request to share doses of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine it has in stock, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said.
Reuters reported this week that Mexico had asked for doses of the British-developed vaccine, since it has yet to be approved for use in the United States.
Mexico will also sign a contract on Tuesday with China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd. to purchase 20 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, Ebrard said.
In the Asia-Pacific region, India, Cambodia and the Philippines’ capital Manila expanded curbs and issued new safety recommendations amid a sharp rise in infections.
China has approved another COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, adding a fifth shot to its arsenal.
The announcement came from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Microbiology. The vaccine was approved for use in Uzbekistan on March 1. The last phase of clinical trials is ongoing. No peer-reviewed data is publicly available about the vaccine’s safety or efficacy.
It’s a three-dose shot, with one month each between shots, a company spokesperson said. Like other vaccines China has developed, it can be stored at normal refrigeration temperatures.
China has been slow in vaccinating its population of 1.4 billion people, despite having four vaccines approved for general use. The latest numbers, according to government officials at a press briefing Monday in Beijing, is 64.9 million doses of vaccines have been administered. They’ve mostly been given to health-care workers, those working at the border or customs, and specific industries.
In Europe, the European Commission said it has sealed a deal with Pfizer to speed up the dispatching of 10 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine over the next three months.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said speeding up the pace of deliveries across the 27-nation bloc would bring the total number of Pfizer doses in the second quarter to over 200 million.
Russia has identified two cases of the B1351 variant of the coronavirus first detected in South Africa, consumer health regulator Rospotrebnadzor said in a statement on Tuesday. Since the start of the pandemic, Russia has reported more than four million COVID-19 cases and over 90,000 deaths.
In the Middle East, Iran’s total number of reported cases rose to more than 1.7 million, with more than 61,300 deaths.
Iran’s campaign to inoculate its population against the coronavirus and promote itself as an emerging vaccine manufacturer inched on as health authorities announced Tuesday that the country’s third homegrown vaccine has reached the phase of clinical trials. Details about its production, however, remained slim.
Although Iran, with a population of more than 80 million, has so far imported foreign vaccines from Russia, China, India and Cuba to cover over 1.2 million people, concerns over its lagging pace of vaccinations have animated Iran’s drive to develop locally produced vaccines as wealthier nations snap up the lion’s share of vaccine doses worldwide.
In Africa, South Africa’s total number of reported cases is more than 1.5 million, with more than 51,400 deaths.
-From The Associated Press and Reuters, last updated at 10:35 a.m. ET
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
