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Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has said there is no indication the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is linked to an increased risk of blood clots.
It said the number of cases among persons who have been vaccinated is fewer than the general population.
The statement came after a number of countries, including Denmark and Norway, suspended the use of the vaccine.
The suspension followed reports that a small number of people who were inoculated developed clots.
There were also reports that a 50-year-old man had died in Italy after developing deep vein thrombosis following a dose of the vaccine.
The European Medicines Agency says the vaccine's benefits continue to outweigh its risks.
Jamaica on Wednesday began administering the 50,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine it received from India on Monday.
Vaccine safe
Jamaica's Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton defended the AstraZeneca vaccine on Thursday during a tour of COVID-19 vaccination centres in St. Catherine.
Dr. Tufton said there is overwhelming evidence the vaccine is safe, pointing to statements from the vaccine manufacturer itself as well as the World Health Organization "supporting the safety and the efficacy of the vaccine."
He said "this is exactly why [Jamaica does] not bring vaccines here unless it passes through clinical trials and through the expert committees" of the WHO.
The health minister said apart from the report involving a blood clot, of the more than 20 million people who have received the AstraZeneca vaccine in the US and UK, "no one has had any detrimental impact."
Dr. Tufton said, while there were reports of mild side effects, there has also been no major concern raised by those who have already received the vaccine in Jamaica.
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