AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The Netherlands joined a growing list of countries on Sunday suspending the use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine after reports of possible unexpected side effects of the injection.
The vaccine will not be used until at least March 29 as a precaution, the Dutch government said in a statement.
The announcement will lead to delays in the launch of vaccines in the Netherlands, which has ordered 12 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Health authorities have scheduled about 290,000 injections of AstraZeneca over the next two weeks.
The move, which follows a similar decision by Ireland earlier in the day, is based on reports from Denmark and Norway on possible serious side effects, the government said.
Three health workers in Norway who recently received the vaccine were being treated at the hospital for bleeding, blood clots and low platelet counts, Norwegian health officials said on Saturday.
No such cases have been found in the Netherlands, the Dutch Ministry of Health said, adding that there was still no evidence of a direct link between the vaccine and reports from Denmark and Norway.
“We cannot allow doubts about the vaccine,” said Dutch Health Minister Hugo de Jonge.
“We have to make sure that everything is right, so it is advisable to take a break for now.”
AstraZeneca said on Sunday that a review of the safety data of people vaccinated with their COVID-19 vaccine showed no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots.
Late last week, the Dutch government said there was no reason to stop using the AstraZeneca vaccine, as the EMA said there was no indication that it could cause blood clots.
But De Jonge said his decision was informed by new reports, which will now be investigated by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
Along with Denmark, Norway and Ireland, Iceland has also suspended the use of the vaccine due to clotting problems, while Thailand became the first country outside Europe to do so on Friday.
On Sunday, northern Italy’s Piedmont region said it would stop using a batch of AstraZeneca vaccines after a teacher died after being vaccinated on Saturday. Austria also stopped using a particular batch last week.
Reporting by Bart Meijer; Edited by Diane Craft and Lincoln Feast.