Researchers at Greifswald University Hospital in northern Germany said on Friday that they had discovered the cause of the unusual blood clotting found in some recipients of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, public broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) said.
Research has shown how the vaccine caused rare thrombosis in the brain in a small number of patients.
The discovery means that targeted treatment can be offered to those suffering from similar clotting, using a very common medication.
The success was the result of cooperation between Greifswald hospital, the state health regulator of the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI), as well as doctors in 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.
Symptoms such as continuous headache, dizziness or impaired vision for more than three days after vaccination need additional medical tests, according to the German Research Association for Thrombosis and Hemostasis in a statement about the recent findings.
Greifswald’s findings have not yet been published in a scientific journal and, therefore, have not been reviewed by independent experts. The Paul-Ehrlich-Institute in Germany is now examining the work of scientists.
AstraZeneca back on track in Europe
Germany, along with 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 the clots, based on information they had. They also stated that the benefits of the jab outweighed any possible risks.
In response to the updated guidance, Germany was set to restart vaccination with the British-Swedish jab on Friday.
On Thursday, Germany administered more than 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, including the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Katja Sterzik of DW contributed to this article.