Health authorities of Denmark, Norway and Iceland They suspended the use of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by AstraZeneca on Thursday after reports of blood clots forming in inoculated people.
Earlier, Austria stopped using a batch of AstraZeneca vaccines while a death is investigated due to coagulation disorders and an illness due to a pulmonary embolism.
However, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) stated that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh its risks and it can continue to be administered.
Europe is facing problems in accelerating the rollout of vaccines after delays in deliveries from Pfizer and AstraZeneca, even as a rise in cases due to more contagious variants of the virus has led to new quarantines in countries such as Italy and France.
Denmark suspended use of the vaccine for two weeks after A 60-year-old woman, who received an AstraZeneca shot from the same batch of vaccines used in Austria , formed a blood clot and died, Danish health authorities said.
The response was also generated by reports of “possible serious side effects” from other European countries.
“It is currently not possible to conclude whether there is a link. We acted early, it is necessary to investigate it thoroughly,” Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said on Twitter. The vaccine will be suspended for 14 days in the country.
“It is a precautionary decision,” Geir Bukholm, director of infection prevention and control at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI), said at a press conference.
The EMA assured on Wednesday that so far there is no evidence linking AstraZeneca to the two cases in Austria.