OXFORD PAUSES COVID-19 VACCINE TRIAL IN KIDS

The University of Oxford said on Tuesday it had paused a small UK trial testing the Covid-19 vaccine it developed with AstraZeneca in children and teenagers while the UK’s medicines regulator investigates a possible link with rare blood clots in adults. The trial disruption is the latest blow to the vaccine, once hailed as a milestone in the fight against the pandemic, after several countries restricted its use in light of reports of medical issues after inoculations. However, “there were no safety concerns with the trial itself for which 300 volunteers had signed up, but that scientists were waiting for further information“, said Professor Andrew Pollard from the University of Oxford. Therefore, as stated by Oxford University, parents and children should continue to attend all scheduled visits and can contact the trial sites if they have any questions. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is reviewing the reports of rare blood clots thoroughly known as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) after the AstraZeneca shots and is expected to announce its findings on Thursday. EMA said in an interview published on Tuesday that there is a link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and rare blood clots in the brain but the possible causes are still unknown. But the regulator has consistently said the benefits outweigh the risks as it investigates 44 reports of an extremely rare brain clotting ailment known as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) out of 9.2 million people in the European Economic Area who have received the AstraZeneca vaccine. Scientists are exploring several possibilities that might explain the extremely rare brain blood clots that occurred in individuals in the days and weeks after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine. On the other hand, European investigators have put forward one theory that the vaccine triggers an unusual antibody in some rare cases; others are trying to understand whether the cases are linked with birth control pills. But many scientists say there is no definitive evidence, and it is not clear whether or why AstraZeneca’s vaccine would cause an issue not shared by other vaccines that target a similar part of the coronavirus. Therefore, the regulator maintains that the benefits of the vaccine continue to outweigh any rare concerns that are under investigation for causal links.