More than a dozen countries have now suspended use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine amid fears that it has caused some recipients to develop serious blood clots.
Germany, Italy, France and Spain are the latest to halt the rollout, following suspensions by The Netherlands, Ireland, Bulgaria, Denmark and Norway, while further countries have stopped using certain batches of the vaccine.
Despite the actions of these nations, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has again expressed its confidence in the safety of the vaccine.
“There is no evidence that the incidents are caused by the vaccine and it is important that vaccination campaigns continue so that we can save lives and stem severe disease from the virus,” WHO spokesperson, Christian Lindmeier said.
There have so far been 30 reports of blood clots in European patients – with around five million now having received the jab.
The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it was reviewing reports of the blood clot side effects, but would not halt the UK’s immunisation program.
“Blood clots can occur naturally and are not uncommon,” MHRA’s Dr Phil Bryan said in a statement.
“More than 11 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca have now been administered across the UK, and the number of blood clots reported after having the vaccine is not greater than the number that would have occurred naturally in the vaccinated population.
“We are working closely with international counterparts in understanding the global safety experience of COVID-19 vaccines and on the rapid sharing of safety data and reports.”
The countries to have halted their vaccine program so far include:
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Spain
- Portugal
- Slovenia
- Indonesia
- Netherlands
- Ireland
- Bulgaria
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Thailand
- Romania
- Iceland
- Denmark
- Norway
- Austria
Australia has secured 53.8 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine – 50 million of which will be made here in Australia by medical company, GSL.
