Romania continues to administer the AstraZeneca vaccine without restrictions

Romania will carry on its vaccine rollout with the AstraZeneca vaccine without any age restriction

Ştefan Stoica, 09.04.2021, 14:00

A sluggish vaccine rollout or giving
up vaccination altogether can make both us and those around to face some severe
forms of infection. Furthermore, they can undermine that community immunity we are
struggling to achieve in order to contain and do away with the toxic effects of
the present pandemic.

The statement was made by military
physician Valeriu Gheorghita, in charge of Romania’s vaccine rollout at the end
of a working meeting upon which the authorities decided to carry on the
national vaccination programme by using the vaccine produced by Swedish-British
group AstraZeneca. The vaccine has sparked off heated debates across Europe after
the discovery of rare cases of blood clots in some patients. The Romanian
authorities’ decision was influenced by the major risk posed by the Covid-19
infection.

Valeriu Gheorghiţă: As the European Medicines Agency
and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control put it, the COVID-19
infection is associated with a significant risk of hospitalization and death,
including through thrombosis. On the other hand, the blood clots that appeared
in some patients post-vaccination are an extremely rare phenomenon and the
overall benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks. As a conclusion, against
the present epidemiological background in Romania, it is important that vaccine
rollout be carried on with all the doses available and at higher parameters. It is very important that a higher percentage
of the population get immunized as soon as possible in order to curb the negative
effects of this pandemic.

Physician Valeriu Gheorghiţă has
given assurances the authorities in the field and medical experts in Romania
are permanently monitoring with responsibility and care all the available
scientific data over the safety and efficiency of the AstraZeneca vaccine and the
other vaccines authorized. According to Gheorghita, drug safety mechanisms across
Europe are fully operational and we must have confidence that experts with the
European Medicines Agency are closely monitoring all the side effects reported.

Asked about the ECHR announcement
that compulsory vaccination may be necessary in democratic societies,
Gheorghita denied that the Romanian authorities have considered this aspect
adding that in Romania, vaccination is free, voluntary and done with vaccines
authorized by the European Medicines Agency.

(bill)