Merkel, Macron in talks over Russian vaccine amid Oxford jab concerns

France and Germany were in negotiations yesterday with Vladimir Putin to supply the Russian Covid vaccine to the EU after Angela Merkel suspended use of the OxfordAstraZeneca jab for the under-60s.

The French president and German chancellor held a video call with the Russian president to discuss “cooperation” over vaccines, which would lead to the Sputnik jab being used in the EU once approved by regulators.

The move came after German authorities identified 31 cases of blood clots known as cerebral sinus vein thrombosis in those given the AstraZeneca jab. Among the cases, 29 involved women and nine had resulted in death. Canada has also reduced the use of the jab, banning it for the under-55s, and France has yet to authorise its use for younger age cohorts. Britain has reiterated that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was “safe, effective and has already saved thousands of lives”.

The decision in Europe to turn to Russia for vaccine supplies threatens to undermine the global coalition that has imposed sanctions on senior Russian figures following the country’s involvement in international atrocities.

Less than two weeks ago, the European Medicines Agency concluded the AstraZeneca vaccine was safe, prompting scores of countries to reverse a pause on its use. France, however, continued to only recommend the jab for the over55s. Germany’s decision is likely to prompt other European countries to re-examine the vaccine.