Denmark has suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine after some people who received the vaccine developed blood clots. The country’s health agency said there is no evidence at the moment that the vaccine is behind the clots, but is suspending its use as a precautionary measure while investigating the matter in more detail.
“At the moment, it cannot be concluded whether there is a link between the vaccine and blood clots,” said the Danish Health Authority in a statement, noting that its decision to stop using the vaccine was “based on a precautionary principle. “and that person who developed a blood clot after vaccination died.
In a statement provided to Fox News, the European Medicines Agency said it was aware that the country was discontinuing use of the vaccine, but noted that it could still be administered as long as the blood clot investigation continues.
“Currently, there is no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions, which are not listed as side effects with this vaccine,” said the regulator. “The position of the EMA PRAC safety committee is that the benefits of the vaccine continue to outweigh its risks and the vaccine can continue to be administered while investigating cases of thromboembolic events is ongoing.”
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The EMA in its statement also noted that the number of thromboembolic events in vaccinated people “is not greater than the number seen in the general population”.
“On March 10, 2021, 30 cases of thromboembolic events were reported among about 5 million people vaccinated with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in the European Economic Area,” the document said.
Some experts also pointed out that of the millions of AstraZeneca vaccines administered elsewhere, including in Britain, there have been no reports of cases of the vaccine causing blood clots or related problems. Others noted that stopping vaccinations at a time when the world is still struggling to control the new coronavirus is risky, as stopping vaccinations could put some at risk of contracting and potentially dying from COVID-19.
Britain’s drug regulator responded by noting that there was no confirmation that the reported blood clot was caused by the AstraZeneca vaccine.
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“People should still go and get their COVID-19 vaccine when asked to do so,” the document said.
Even so, after the Danish announcement, Norway decided to follow suit and temporarily suspend the vaccine of the Anglo-Swedish company, which was developed by the University of Oxford, also saying that there are no proven links. In addition, Italy’s pharmaceutical agency on Thursday ordered a preventive ban on a specific batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine after what it said were “serious adverse events”.
On Wednesday, the EMA said that Austria suspended the use of a batch of the COVID-19 vaccine made by AstraZeneca after one person was diagnosed with multiple blood clots and died 10 days after vaccination, and another was hospitalized with a blockage in the arteries of the lungs after being vaccinated. The latter is recovering.
Two other reports of similar problems were received for this batch by March 9, said the EMA, although there is no indication that the problems were caused by the vaccine.
The EMA said the batch of 1 million doses in question was delivered to 17 EU countries.
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Germany’s Paul Ehrlich Institute, which oversees vaccine issues, said it is in contact with the Danish authorities and the EMA on the matter, but that no dose of the batch used in Austria is on the German market.
Denmark’s suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine will last at least two weeks, the agency said, adding that it depends on an assessment by the EU medical regulator.
An AstraZeneca spokesman did not immediately respond to Fox News’s request for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.