Pausing the rollout of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine in Europe could be a “disaster” for coronavirus vaccine uptake, a scientist has warned.
Peter Openshaw, professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London, insisted people who are booked in to receive the AstraZeneca jab should not be worried at the present time.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said: “I think it is very clear that the benefits of being vaccinated at the moment so far outweigh the possible concern over this rather rare type of blood clot.
“It really is a completely one-sided argument statistically that we need to be vaccinating.
“I think it is a disaster for the vaccination uptake in Europe, which is already on slightly unsteady ground in some countries.”
It comes after several European countries temporarily suspended the use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine over blood clot fears.
Germany, France and Spain decided to pause injections of the vaccine on Monday after a number of cases of blood clots were reported after the vaccine was administered.
The Netherlands, the Republic of Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Bulgaria, Iceland and Thailand have already temporarily suspended their use of the jab.
The European Union’s medical regulator has said “many thousands of people” develop blood clots every year in the region and “the number of thromboembolic events overall in vaccinated people seems not to be higher than that seen in the general population”.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is working with experts and authorities including the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to investigate the data.
But UK leaders and medical experts have defended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, insisting it is safe and that people should continue to get the jab if they are offered it.
On Tuesday, foreign secretary Dominic Raab said it was “crystal clear” that the jab was safe.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, he said: “Different countries have different approaches but I can tell you crystal clear that the UK regulator, the European EU regulator and the WHO all say that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and people should continue to take it.
“It is safe, people should get the vaccine and I think it has been very clear, both from the MHRA, the UK regulator, that the risks of taking the vaccine are no more than, in terms of for example blood clots, than the population at large.
“There is no extra risk on the evidence that we’ve seen, which is why they have authorised the vaccine and haven’t taken any further action.
“We respect the process and procedures that some other countries may need to go through but the vaccine is safe and people should certainly continue to take it and to protect themselves and their friends and family.”
The UK’s medicines regulator has also said there is no evidence to suggest the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine causes blood clots.