AstraZeneca vaccine suspends in Denmark over blood clot fears

COPENHAGEN: Denmark has temporarily suspended the use of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine and its supply after some patients developed blood clots since receiving the jab.

 

The decision was taken "following reports of serious cases of blood clots among people vaccinated with AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine," according to a statement issued by the Danish Health Authority.

 

However, cautiously added that It has not been determined, at this time, that there is a connection between the vaccine and the blood clots.

 

Austria on Monday announced that it had suspended the use of a batch of AstraZeneca vaccines after a 49-year-old nurse died of "severe blood coagulation problems" days after receiving an anti-COVID-19 shot.

 

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However, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Wednesday that a preliminary investigation found that the batch of AstraZeneca vaccines used in Austria was unlikely to be to blame for the nurse's death.

 

Besides Austria, four other European countries – Luxemburg, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia have also suspended the use of vaccines from this batch which was distributed to 17 European countries and contained one million injections.

 

As many as 22 cases of blood clots have been reported as of March 9 among more than three million people vaccinated in the European Economic Area

 

Denmark's vaccination programme is likely to be slowed by the suspension, which will be reviewed in two weeks.

 

Copenhagen's entire adult population is now supposed to be vaccinated by mid-August, rather than early July, according to the city's health authority.