U.S. health experts try to ease vaccine fears as AstraZeneca’s shot faces concerns
Medical experts in the U.S. are trying to ease fears that currently deployed Covid-19 vaccines may be unsafe following the decision by several European countries to suspend AstraZeneca‘s shot after reports of blood clots.
While AstraZeneca’s vaccine hasn’t been authorized for use in the U.S. just yet, White House Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anthony Fauci told lawmakers that there will likely be enough safety and efficacy data to grant the doses authorization in April.
When asked whether the vaccines’ suspension overseas could stoke fear among Americans taking other shots, Fauci reiterated that the products undergo rigorous clinical trials and are reviewed by an independent safety monitoring board before they’re widely distributed.
Other medical experts told CNBC that, while it’s still unclear whether the vaccines caused the adverse reactions, it will likely take extensive efforts to rebuild trust in the vaccine if allowed back online. The European Medicines Agency, which evaluates drug safety for the EU and has supported the use of the vaccine, will meet on Thursday to review the safety concerns.
—Noah Higgins-Dunn
Tanzania’s president, an ardent Covid denier, has died
Tanzanian president John Magufuli, an ardent Covid denier, has died after a two-week absence from the public eye, the Associated Press reports.
Magufuli died of heart illness, according to Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who…
