Quebec defends use of AstraZeneca vaccine after its suspension in various countries

Dr. Horacio Arruda, Quebec's National Director for Public Health, defended the safety AstraZeneca vaccine after it was suspended in several countries, TV Nouvelles reports.

"Public Health and all the experts are following the development of the AstraZeneca vaccine situation very closely," Dr. Arruda said. "At the moment, we do not have information which allows us to believe that this vaccine presents more risks than another, indicated the national director of public health."

He assured the public that health authorities "will take the appropriate action" if deemed necessary.

"I would like to reiterate that all the vaccines offered in Quebec are effective and that the data in the field show an equivalence in the prevention of severe forms of COVID-19," he continued. "You should not hesitate to receive the vaccine."

Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Italy suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Thursday after a number of people who received it developed blood clots shortly after. The vaccine had previously been suspended by Austria, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Luxembourg for similar reasons.

However, some experts are skeptical about the issue, suggesting that the rate at which people who received the vaccine developed blood clots is no higher than among the general population when controlling for factors such as age.

In Austria, for example, a preliminary investigation has already concluded that the bleeding-related death seen by a vaccinated person had nothing to do with the vaccine.

"The information available to date indicates that the number of thromboembolisms in vaccinated people is not higher than that observed in the whole population," said the European Medicines Agency shortly after the three Nordic nations suspended the vaccine's use.

"The problem with spontaneous reports of suspected adverse reactions to a vaccine are the enormous difficulty of distinguishing a causal effect from a coincidence," argued pharmacoepidemiology professor Stephen Evans. He also noted that blood clots are a common symptom of coronavirus.

"It is currently not possible to conclude whether there is a link. We are acting early, it needs to be thoroughly investigated," said Danish Health Minister Magnus Heunicke.

The controversy comes as Canadian provinces begin administering the AstraZeneca vaccine to their residents. The vaccine has already faced controversy after numerous medical bodies have questioned the effectiveness of the vaccine on individuals over the age of 64, the group which is most vulnerable to coronavirus.