Thailand is the last country to postpone the use of the UK-based vaccine after health officials in Denmark, Norway and Iceland suspended vaccines on Thursday.
Austria had stopped using a batch of AstraZeneca injections while investigating a death from coagulation disorders and a disease from pulmonary embolism.
‘Blood clots’
Denmark suspended vaccines for two weeks after a 60-year-old woman, who received an injection of AstraZeneca from the same batch used in Austria, formed a blood clot and died, Danish health officials said.
Their response was also prompted by reports of “possible serious side effects” from other European countries.
“It is currently not possible to conclude whether there is a link. We are acting early, he needs to be investigated thoroughly, ”said Health Minister Magnus Heunicke on Twitter.
Iceland suspended vaccines with the vaccine on Thursday pending the results of an EMA investigation. Italy, also on Thursday, said it would suspend the use of an AstraZeneca lot other than that used in Austria.
Four other countries – Estonia, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Latvia – have suspended inoculations of the batch while investigations continue, the EMA said.
Little evidence
Some health experts said there was little evidence to suggest that the AstraZeneca vaccine should not be administered and that cases of blood clots corresponded to the rate of such cases in the general population.
“The problem with spontaneous reports of suspected adverse reactions to a vaccine is the enormous difficulty in distinguishing a causal effect from a coincidence,” Stephen Evans, professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, told Reuters.
The European drug regulator EMA said the vaccine’s benefits outweigh its risks and can continue to be administered.
AstraZeneca told Reuters in a written statement that the safety of its vaccine has been extensively studied in tests on humans and peer-reviewed data confirmed that it was generally well tolerated.
Other experts pointed out that of the millions of AstraZeneca vaccines administered elsewhere, including in Britain, there have been no reported cases of the vaccine causing blood clots or related problems.
Australia and Canada will continue to implement
Meanwhile, Australia said on Friday that it will continue to launch the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, as there is no evidence of a link with blood clots.
The Australian government said that although its pharmaceutical regulator is monitoring these cases, there will be no pause in the vaccine’s launch.
“We are moving forward with the vaccine, we are moving forward with the launch,” Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack told reporters in Melbourne.
Canada also said that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe after Denmark and Norway temporarily suspended its use.
“Health Canada is aware of reports of adverse events in Europe following immunization with the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine and would like to reassure Canadians that the benefits of the vaccine continue to outweigh its risks,” the health department said in a statement. .
“At the moment, there is no indication that the vaccine caused these events,” said the newspaper.
Mexico also said it will continue to apply doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Swedish officials said they did not find enough evidence to stop vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine.