In this Motley Fool Live video recorded on March 26, healthcare and cannabis bureau chief Corinne Cardina and Fool.com contributor Adria Cimino discuss the concerns that halted use of AstraZeneca's (AZN 1.05%) coronavirus vaccine in some European countries recently -- and whether the concerns were warranted.
Corinne Cardina: Certain countries have concerns about the AstraZeneca vaccine. Blood clots is what everybody has been talking about. There's been some concern, but maybe it's overhyped. Can you explain why people are concerned about blood clots pertaining to the AstraZeneca vaccine? Should investors be worried?
Adria Cimino: Sure. Well, some vaccinated individuals developed blood clots. Now, we have to keep in mind how many. There were 17 million vaccinated, 15 cases of deep vein thrombosis, 22 cases of pulmonary embolism. This is less than in the general population. If you were to take a general sample of the population, you'd see hundreds of examples of these cases. And there is no link. They have not established any link. Some people in Europe have said this is a political thing: It's like the EU versus the U.K., it's vaccine nationalism. There are all those issues that have come up. Basically, the bottom line is, from a medical perspective, so far, there is no reason to worry. From an investor perspective, there isn't reason to worry either. Shares of the company haven't been very responsive to vaccine news. You have to look at their whole portfolio, and over time, that's how shares of AstraZeneca will gain -- by the whole portfolio, not just one product.
