German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she is ready to be vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine. The statement comes amid controversy over the safety of the serum produced by AstraZeneca and after several states suspended its administration because there were cases of thrombosis. However, the European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization have announced that the vaccine is safe.
“Yes, I would be vaccinated with AstraZeneca serum,” the German chancellor told a news conference. “I would like to wait for my turn, but I would like to,” added Angela Merkel.
The Prime Minister of Italy has no doubts about this vaccine either.
Several European political leaders were vaccinated with AstraZeneca in a gesture of reassurance. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French Prime Minister Jean Castex and the Prime Minister and President of Slovenia were among those who received the AstraZeneca serum.
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Almost all states that had discontinued AstraZeneca serum resumed their immunization campaign after both the European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization concluded that the vaccine was safe and found no direct link between it and blood clots.
However, three countries, Denmark, Sweden and Finland, are still awaiting the evaluation of their own health agencies.
More than 17 million Europeans have received at least the first dose of AstraZeneca and around 40 cases of severe side effects have been reported.
On the other hand, the Robert Koch Institute of Public Health (RKI) argues that Germany needs to speed up its vaccination campaign, as the country is facing a “clearly exponential increase” in COVID cases. “The motto is: vaccinated, vaccinated, vaccinated!”, The chancellor pointed out, after a meeting with the heads of regional governments.
Source: Ziarulromanesc.de