Vaccine drive to continue with AstraZeneca shot: Health secretary

Bangladesh does not plan to suspend its rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine, despite a cascading number of countries doing so over reports of some recipients developing dangerous blood clots, reports UNB.

Md Abdul Mannan, secretary, Health Care Division, while noting the suspension in some European countries, said no unusual side effects have been reported after taking the vaccine in Bangladesh.

"So far those who took the first dose of the vaccine are all in good health, so Bangladesh has no plan to halt its vaccine drive," he said, before adding: "I don't see why some countries have chosen to suspend its use."

Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Ireland, Norway and the Netherlands were joined today by Latvia and Sweden as European countries that have suspended use of the vaccine developed by Oxford University scientists in partnership with British-Swedish pharma giant AstraZeneca.

The Europeans were joined by Indonesia, Thailand and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), but by Tuesday the Thais were back, with Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha becoming the first person in the country to receive the vaccine.

It has created a jagged divide across the globe, forcing politicians to assess the health risks of halting the shots at a time when many countries, especially in Europe, are already struggling to overcome logistical hurdles and vaccine hesitancy among their populations, reports AP.

AstraZeneca has developed a manufacturing base in Asia, and the Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine maker, has been contracted by the company to produce a billion doses of the vaccine for developing nations. Hundreds of millions more are to be manufactured this year in Australia, Japan, Thailand and South Korea.

AstraZeneca said there have been 37 reports of blood clots out of more than 17 million people vaccinated in the 27-country EU and Britain. The drug maker said there is no evidence the vaccine carries an increased risk of clots.