None whatsoever, according to Xavier Bettel.
The Prime Minister continued his country-wide tour on Wednesday with a visit to the vaccination centre in Ettelbruck. He was joined by Minister of Social Security and temporary Health Minister Romain Schneider.
Naturally, this does not mean that health officials ignore the recent developments, Bettel acknowledged: “The government council already met once this week, and will convene again on Friday. We continuously analyse the situation and assess the risks of postponing vaccination attempts, given how dangerous Covid-19 still is. It is important that people are being informed about all these matters.”
Read also: Ministry of Health and public prosecutors investigate possible vaccine-linked deathSince there is no such thing as a Luxembourgish medicines agency, the government has to rely on the advice from the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Contrary to what some individual countries have decided, EMA continues to hold on to the AstraZeneca vaccine for all age groups. The evaluation process of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is meanwhile underway, and set to be concluded over the course of the next week. Until then, the European agency will stand behind the vaccine.
Read also: Johnson & Johnson shots delivered to the Grand Duchy on MondayRead also: US pauses J&J vaccine in blow to global immunization drivePM Bettel explained: “We listen to what EMA says, and right now, there is no indication for us to stop using AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson. Should EMA change its evaluation, we will be the first ones to drop the vaccines.”
Further Reading: Xavier Bettel joins TikTok
Up until now, the reported vaccine problems have not affected people’s willingness to get the shot in Luxembourg, and most citizens continue to wait impatiently. 1,400 people received their shot at the Ettelbruck centre on Wednesday.
Ministers Bettel and Schneider both declined to further address the investigation into the possible vaccine-related death of a 74-year-old woman, who passed away two weeks after receiving the AstraZeneca shot. The Prime Minister did however highlight the ongoing threat of the virus: “We have not yet received a great number of complaints about side effects. But I can tell you that I get daily calls regarding the new number of deaths in relation to Covid-19, which is a fact.”
