Berlin: Researchers at the university hospital Greifswald in northern Germany said on Friday that they had discovered the cause of the unusual blood clot problems found in some recipients of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, public broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) said.
Research has shown how the vaccine caused blood clots in the brain in some patients. The discovery means that targeted treatment can be developed to prevent problems.
The success was the result of cooperation between Greifswald hospital, the state health regulator of the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI), as well as doctors from Austria – a nurse died of a thrombosis in the brain after being vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The researchers emphasized that treatment would only be possible in patients with blood clots, and not as a preventive treatment.
The information was shared with hospitals across Europe.
AstraZeneca back on track in Europe
Germany, like several other EU member states, suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Monday after reports of unusual blood clots.
On Thursday, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said there were no proven links between the vaccine and blood clots, based on information they have. They also stated that the benefits of the jab outweighed any possible risks.
Germany is expected to restart vaccination with the English-Swedish jab on Friday. On Thursday, Germany administered more than 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, including the AstraZeneca vaccine.