TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia is not halting its use of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine after a 27-year-old female nurse suffered anaphylactic shock and went into a coma on Thursday after receiving the jab.
“We recently heard a report about AstraZeneca from a strict European regulator. It is recognized as a safe vaccine that has far more benefits than risks, which does not give any country a reason to stop using AstraZeneca. Therefore, the council made a joint decision that the AstraZeneca vaccination process in Georgia will continue smoothly,” Health Minister Ekaterine Tikaradze said after meeting with experts on Thursday.
On Thursday afternoon, a 27-year-old woman working as a nurse at a clinic in Akhaltsikhe, in the Samtskhe–Javakheti region, became ill after being injected with the AstraZeneca vaccine. She likely developed an allergic reaction. She was rushed to Tbilisi for treatment and currently remains in a coma. Doctors say her condition is critical.
The woman’s tragic fate has further hampered the effort to vaccinate the Georgian population against Covid-19, as a significant part of the population refuse to take the AstraZeneca vaccine; the only one available in the country at the moment.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement on Wednesday that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe, after several European countries suspended its use as a precautionary measure based on reports of a few cases of blood clots in persons who had received the vaccine.
“At this time, WHO considers that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine outweigh its risks and recommends that vaccinations continue,” the WHO statement reads.
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