LONDON – Irish health officials on Sunday recommended temporarily suspending the AstraZeneca vaccine after reports of serious blood clotting after inoculations in Norway.
Dr. Ronan Glynn, deputy chief medical officer of Ireland, said the recommendation was made after the Norwegian drug agency reported four cases of blood clotting in adults after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.
He said that while there is no conclusive link between the vaccine and the cases, Irish health officials are recommending suspending the vaccine’s release as a precaution.
The Danish, Norwegian and Icelandic authorities have taken similar precautionary measures. The World Health Organization and the European Union’s drug regulator said earlier this week that there was no link between the injection and an increased risk of developing a clot.
The UK drug regulator, MHRA, said on Thursday that “the blood clot reports received so far are no greater than the number that would have occurred naturally in the vaccinated population” and that “the available evidence does not confirm that the vaccine is the cause. “
He said that people should still get the COVID-19 vaccine when asked to do so.
