COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) – Danish authorities decided on Thursday to extend the suspension of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for three weeks, while continuing to assess a possible link with blood clots, although European Union regulators who investigated the matter have released the vaccine to use.
Denmark’s decision “was made on the basis of presumed side effects,” said Tanja Erichsen, director of pharmacovigilance at the Danish Medicines Agency, during a news conference.
“It cannot be ruled out that there is a connection between the vaccine and the very rare cases of blood clot,” she said.
Denmark suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine as a precautionary measure on March 11 after reports that a 60-year-old woman died of blood clots in various parts of her body a week after receiving the vaccine, according to health officials.
The death of a second person in Denmark has been reported after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine. Danish health officials said they had no evidence that the vaccine was responsible for any of the deaths.
“I would like to emphasize that I am not talking about common blood clots,” said Erichsen. “It is not about blood clots in the arms, legs and lungs.”
The break will last at least until April 18. Norway and Sweden have also suspended the AstraZeneca vaccine. Most of the European countries that have suspended the vaccine have returned to administering it after the European Medicines Agency said last week that it was safe.
The Swedish Public Health Agency said on Thursday that it would resume administering AstraZeneca jabs for people over 65, but recommended keeping them on hold for other age groups while waiting for additional data. Sweden suspended the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine on 16 March.
“The vaccine is very useful for the elderly, as many become seriously ill with COVID-19 every day,” said Swedish agency director Johan Carlson in a statement. “At the same time, we have not seen the risk of these rare and serious side effects in the elderly. That’s why we’re canceling the break for people over 65. ”
Health officials in neighboring Finland said on Wednesday that the country would resume using the AstraZeneca vaccine on Monday after a break of more than a week, but would only administer it to people over 65.
The use of the AstraZeneca vaccine was suspended in Finland last Friday after blood clots in the brain were diagnosed in two individuals who received the vaccine.
According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, more than 1 million doses of various vaccines have been administered in Denmark, which has a population of almost 6 million. Vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna represent the majority of the jabs given in the Scandinavian country, and about 150,000 people in Denmark received an injection of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“Many may wonder whether we are overly cautious. To this I will say: ‘You can say that “We have added extra precautionary principles,” said the Director General of the Danish Health Authority, Soeren Brostroem.
Brostroem said that when and if Denmark resumes use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, people will have the option to refuse the vaccine from the Anglo-Swedish manufacturer.
“You can wait and get another one,” he said. Denmark also uses vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna.
The European Medicines Agency said the vaccine’s benefits continue to outweigh its risks and that the vaccine can continue to be administered as long as a more detailed assessment of blood clot cases continues.
“At the moment, we believe that our basis for making a final decision on the future use of the COVID-19 vaccine by AstraZeneca is very uncertain,” said Brostroem. ”Many studies have been launched, but we still have no conclusions. That’s why we decided to extend the interval. “
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Jari Tanner in Helsinki, Finland, contributed to this report