Italy’s decision to ban a batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine was made after the death of two men in Sicily who had recently been vaccinated, a source close to the matter said on Thursday.
Italian drug authority Aifa said earlier that the ban was a “preventive” measure, adding that no link had been established between the vaccine and subsequent “serious adverse events”.
The source said Aifa had moved in after Stefano Paterno, a 43-year-old navy officer, died earlier this week of a suspected heart attack the day after his jab.
A second man, 50-year-old police officer Davide Villa, died last weekend, about 12 days after his injection. Local newspapers reported that he fell ill 24 hours after the injection and never recovered.
The source said the two men were shot at AstraZeneca’s ABV2856 lot.