BERLIN (AP) – Sweden on Tuesday became the last country to stop using AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, while European regulators review safety data after reports of dangerous blood clots in some recipients.
The company and international regulators continue to say the vaccine is safe, however, and many countries in other parts of the world are moving forward with their vaccination campaigns.
The European Medicines Agency plans to meet on Thursday to review experts’ findings about the vaccine and decide if any action needs to be taken. The agency has said so far that the benefits of receiving the injection outweigh the risk of side effects.
The Swedish Public Health Agency said on Tuesday that it would suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine pending the results of the EMA meeting. Germany, France, Italy and Spain are among the countries that suspended the use of the vaccine on Monday.
“The decision is a precautionary measure,” Sweden’s chief epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell, said in a statement.
Also on Tuesday, the German government said it would postpone a virtual summit of state governors convened after the EMA meeting to review the country’s vaccination efforts. The summit was scheduled for Wednesday,
The AstraZeneca vaccine is one of three authorized for use on the European continent. But growing concern about the shooting has created another setback for the European Union’s vaccination campaign, which has been plagued by scarcity and other obstacles and is far behind efforts in Britain and the United States.
AstraZeneca said there is no evidence that the vaccine carries an increased risk of blood clots. There have been 37 reports of blood clots among the more than 17 million people who received the vaccine in the EU and Britain, the company said.
“This is much smaller than would be expected to occur naturally in a general population of this size and is similar to other licensed COVID-19 vaccines,” said AstraZeneca.
Much of Asia ignored concerns about the AstraZeneca vaccine, with Thailand’s prime minister receiving an injection on Tuesday, when the country started launching the vaccine.
“There are people who are concerned,” said Prayuth Chan-ocha after the vaccination. “But we must believe in doctors, believe in our medical professionals.”
Thailand was the first country outside Europe to temporarily suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine. But health officials later decided to go ahead, with Prayuth and members of his cabinet receiving the first injections.
Indonesia suspended using the vaccine on Monday, saying it was awaiting a full World Health Organization report on possible side effects.
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AP reporters around the world contributed to this report.
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