AstraZeneca’s global withdrawal sparks shock, worry and regret
Following AstraZeneca’s withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine worldwide, Chairman of the Jamaica Coalition for a Healthy Society, Dr. Wayne West, said the authoritarian approach to the management of the pandemic by many governments and the manipulation of information has resulted in a loss of trust.
The medical doctor says there is now a loss of trust in both governments and the medical profession. The vaccine was recommended as safe and effective by governments worldwide, who foisted it on citizens in an attempt to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
“Despite the official narrative carried by the mainstream media that COVID-19 vaccines were “safe and effective,” the public knew, through social media, that the vaccines were known to have risks, including the risk of death, and to be relatively ineffective,” he said.
AstraZeneca announced the withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine worldwide on Tuesday, months after the pharmaceutical giant admitted the drug could cause very rare but life-threatening injuries, including blood clots.
Despite the suspension of the use of AstraZeneca vaccines in some European countries in 2021 due to blood clot concerns, Jamaica’s health minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton, defended its use locally at the time. He said there was no reason to stop using the vaccine, which the World Health Organization (WHO) had approved for emergency use. Both the WHO and the European Union had publicly declared the vaccine safe, noting there was no evidence the AstraZeneca vaccine contributed to blood clots. Prime Minister Andrew Holness had also endorsed its usage and, along with Dr. Tufton, took the vaccine as part of a bid to encourage other Jamaicans to do likewise.
Jamaica received its first batch of 50,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in March 2021. Some 14,400 doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine were received through the COVAX Facility later that month. There were other shipments to the island, including the donation of 300,000 doses of AstraZeneca from the Government of the United Kingdom (UK) in July that year. Information has not been released on whether blood clots have been associated with any of the doses given locally.
A few pastors had urged their congregation not to take the vaccines and to trust God instead, but they were ridiculed, and their voices were outnumbered by the endorsement of several prominent clergymen in the country who encouraged their congregants to get vaccinated. A few doctors and other medical professionals had expressed their concerns, but they, too, were labelled as conspiracy theorists. The Ministry of Health had not commented publicly on AstraZeneca’s announced withdrawal of the drug up to press time.
While the officials have been silent, many people have taken to social media to express shock and regret for believing that the vaccine was safe. They wondered openly about the potential impact on their health and pointed to the increasing numbers of “sudden deaths” in the country, especially among young professionals, such as teachers and police officers, who were not known to be unhealthy.
The AstraZeneca vaccine is sold as Vaxzevria in Europe and the UK. The vaccine maker has said the worldwide withdrawal was initiated for commercial reasons due to a surplus of available updated vaccines for COVID-19 and not because of lawsuits.
The vaccine can no longer be used in the European Union after the company voluntarily withdrew its “marketing authorisation”. The application to withdraw the vaccine was made on March 5 and came into effect on Tuesday. Similar applications will be made in the coming months in the UK and in other countries that had approved Vaxzevria.
According to the Telegraph, TTS—which stands for Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome—has been linked to at least 81 deaths in the UK as well as hundreds of serious injuries. AstraZeneca is being sued by more than 50 alleged victims and grieving relatives in a High Court case.
AstraZeneca admitted in one of the court documents in February that the vaccine can “in very rare cases, cause TTS.” However, the vaccine maker has denied that the decision to withdraw it is linked to the court case.
The COVID jab was widely administered in over 150 countries, including Britain and throughout the EU. Some families who say their loved ones died after taking the AstraZeneca vaccine abandoned attempts to sue the pharmaceutical giant after being told that they were likely to lose.
The World Health Organisation had said the vaccine was “safe and effective for all individuals aged 18 and above.”