BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th March, 2021) Concerns over blood clotting and other severe side-effects from the AstraZeneca vaccine have not stopped Belgium from continuing to inoculate citizens, while members of the European Parliament warn that the strong pharmaceutical lobby in Brussels is unlikely to prioritize public health over its own interests.
It all began late last week when three Norwegian medical workers inoculated with the AstraZeneca vaccine were hospitalized with blood clots and one of them later died. In a matter of hours and days, more and more EU countries began coming out about cases of thrombosis and other severe side effects in their citizens who received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Austria, however, was the first EU member state to suspend the use of the UK vaccine back on March 7 after one vaccinated citizen died from severe coagulation disorders and another one developed an acute lung condition caused by a dislodged blood clot, known as pulmonary embolism.
To date, the majority of EU countries have halted the use of AstraZeneca's vaccine, which it had developed jointly with the University of Oxford, as a "precaution" until further notice from the common regulator, the European Medicines Agency.
BELGIUM STICKS TO ASTRAZENECA VACCINE
Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke has decided not to give in to the panic that seems to have gripped much of Europe and carry on with the vaccination campaign.
"We are continuing the vaccination campaign without changing anything. The vaccination task force and the Federal Medicines Agency (FAMHP) are in permanent contact with the European Health Agency. The latest opinion of the Belgian Superior Health Council is positive, so we are continuing," the minister's spokesman, Arne Brinckman, told Sputnik.
Belgium's decision not to apply the "precautionary principle," like it was done by neighboring Germany, France, Luxembourg and over a dozen other EU countries, appears to be welcomed by the public and press.
"We are not concerned about the AstraZeneca vaccine. These countries that stop everything make a big mistake in terms of communication. They are in a race to show that they open the umbrella of protection. They will look ridiculous on Thursday; the United Kingdom has already administered millions of doses of this vaccine. There is no such thing as hitting the pause button," a member of Belgium's COVID-19 task force told Sputnik on the condition of anonymity.
Even though most side effects from the AstraZeneca vaccination reported by countries were essentially the same, Belgian virologist Marc Van Ranst advises against linking them to the vaccine by default.
"A lot of bad things might have happened in the hours or days before the inoculation. But a lot of people immediately and wrongly associate the vaccination and the health accident," Van Ranst, who is a member of a panel of health experts advising the Belgian government, told Sputnik.
"The numbers do not confirm this at all," according to the virologist.
MEMBERS OF EU PARLIAMENT URGE PHARMACEUTICAL LOBBIES IN BRUSSELS NOT TO EXPERIMENT ON PEOPLE
Members of the European Parliament have shared their opinions with Sputnik, and there appears to be a divide over whether or not the distribution of the AstraZeneca vaccine should be paused.
"It is true that there is some politics attached to many vaccines, but we strongly object to playing guinea pigs with people and giving them vaccines that may have serious side effects. We should not vaccinate for the sake of vaccinating and vaccines should be properly tested before they are administered," Roman Haider, member of the European Parliament from the far-right Freedom Party of Austria, told Sputnik.
Haider recounted the European Commission's strategy to date as "chaotic," advising that "one should admit certain mistakes before making new ones."
Fellow MEP from France, Virginie Joron from the far-right National Rally party, concurs in that if a given vaccine ubiquitously demonstrates a certain side effect, it should be paused without delay by all EU member states collectively.
"If such a decision is taken about a vaccine, it should have been taken long before, as the first suspicious cases emerged in Europe and together," Joron told Sputnik.
The French lawmaker lashed out at laboratories that allow under-tested vaccines to go on the market under the "for emergency use" status, skipping proper safety verification for the sake of going faster.
"Now we find ourselves facing a cessation of vaccination with AstraZeneca after millions of Europeans have already received such doses. Hopefully, it is not more serious than what the latest information tells us, because it would be criminal negligence otherwise," Joron said.
Greek MEP Emmanouil Fragkos from the right-wing Greek Solution party pointed to AstraZeneca's vaccine not having been tested "according to the usual practice."
"The deaths that we heard about right after the vaccines are a small part of the bigger picture. What is clear, is that a major pharmaceutical company has taken over the EU with ridiculous contracts, concluded clandestinely," Fragkos told Sputnik.
The Greek lawmaker warns more reports on side-effects from the AstraZeneca vaccine could emerge in the near future as "we have no guarantees that it won't be the case." He also pointed to the strong pharmaceutical lobby in the European institutions, saying that the industry represents about one-third of the Brussels arena.
"Clearly the people have been terrorized and a big experiment of keeping them tied down has successfully taken place. What's more, wealth has successfully changed hands and the have-nots have been impoverished further. My trust [in Europe] has hit the bottom," Fragkos said.�
