Ireland is the last country to temporarily suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
What happened: Many European countries have already suspended the use of AstraZeneca Plc (NASDAQ: AZN) COVID-19 vaccines after reports of blood clotting problems.
On Sunday, Ireland suspended the use of the vaccine as a precautionary measure after new reports of blood clots in people who received it. Norwegian authorities also reported bleeding under the skin and an “unexpected death from cerebral hemorrhage” after the patients received the injection.
The list of other countries that have suspended the vaccine now includes Denmark, Iceland, Austria, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, Estonia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia and Thailand.
In February, South Africa stopped inoculations using the AstraZeneca injection after a small study suggested that the AstraZeneca injection has limited protection against mild disease caused by the variant.
AstraZeneca defended its vaccine. In a statement, he said: “There was no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots. An analysis of our safety data from more than 10 million records showed no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis at any defined age. group, gender, lot or in any particular country with COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca. “
On Friday, the World Health Organization said it was reviewing reports of blood clots in some people who received the vaccine. According to WHO’s chief scientist, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, “it is still unclear whether the vaccine is causing blood clots.”
The European drug regulator also said there was no problem with the vaccine.
Why does it matter: This is because AstraZeneca is facing supply problems. The company said it will delay further deliveries of the vaccine due to a drop in production and export restrictions.
However, the company plans to deliver 100 million doses in the first half of 2021, of which 30 million are expected to be delivered in the first quarter.
AstraZeneca in a recent statement said: “Half of the EU’s supply in the second quarter and 10 million doses in the first quarter should come from the company’s international supply chain. Unfortunately, export restrictions will reduce deliveries in the first quarter and are will likely affect deliveries in the second quarter. “
The European Commission authorized the AstraZeneca vaccine in January, and the company started distributing the vaccine to EU countries in February.
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