AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine linked to rare blood clots, EMA official says, but benefits still outweigh risks

A European Medicines Agency official drew a link Tuesday between AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine and the rare reports of blood clots in vaccine recipients. But the shot's benefits still outweigh its risks, the official said as the agency itself wraps up its review of the clotting incidents. As the number of blood-clot reports rises, EMA vaccine chief Marco Cavaleri told the Italian newspaper il Messaggero it’s 'clear that there is an association with the vaccine,' as translated by Reuters. The benefits of the shot still outweigh the risks, he said. The news comes ahead of an updated safety review from EMA—expected Wednesday or Thursday—and after the agency's March 18 decision to continue the shot rollout despite the small number of patients reporting serious, unexpected blood clots. Several countries had stopped using the vaccine ahead of that decision to wait for the EMA’s initial findings.