The suspension follows reports that some people have developed blood clots after receiving the shot, but the WHO says there is no proven link and urges people not to panic.
Germany, France, Italy and Spain have suspended the use of the Covid-19 vaccine of AstraZeneca following several reports of blood clots in people receiving shots in Europe.
His rollout was suspended last weekend in several other countries, mostly in Europe, following the suspension on Monday.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has endorsed the use of the vaccine, saying it has found no evidence that the shot caused clots in some people who received it.
The UN health agency is reviewing reports about the agency and urging countries not to suspend vaccinations, as its top scientist has said people should not panic.
EU members block shots
German Health Minister Jens Spaan said the country had suspended the use of the shot on the advice of the nation’s vaccine regulator, Paul Ehrlich.
The organization called for further investigation into seven reported cases of brain tumors in people receiving the vaccine.
“Today’s decision is a precautionary measure,” Spahn said.
France and Italy announced similar moves shortly thereafter.
The use of the AstraZeneca shot will be suspended at least until Tuesday afternoon as a precautionary measure when the European Union’s drug regulator – the European Medicines Agency (EMA) – will present its recommendation on the vaccine, French President Emmanuel Macron said.
Macron could not elaborate on the rationale behind the decision, but said in a news conference that he hoped France would “soon” re-vaccinate with Astrazeneca shots.
Italy’s Drugs Authority AIFA, meanwhile, said it was enforcing its suspension as a precautionary measure by the EMA as a “precautionary and temporary measure”.
The announcement came after Italian prosecutors seized thousands of doses of the vaccine in the northern area of Piedmont, where one of its teachers died after being given the vaccine.
Experts are investigating whether there is a link between his death and vaccination.
Late Monday, Spanish Health Minister Carolina Darius said the country had been suspending its vaccine use for two weeks as a “precaution.”
He said the decision would remain until the EMA “analyzes recent blood clotting incidents, especially over the weekend.”
Ra Strazeneca said there was no reason to worry about his vaccine, which is produced jointly with Oxford University in the United Kingdom, and that fewer cases of thrombosis were reported in shot recipients than in the general population.
Peter Drobebe of Oxford University told Al Jazeera that the AstraZeneca vaccine had passed “rigorous medical tests” and that blood clots had not been identified as a problem.
“Stop safety, I think it’s definitely a bias of regulators in these countries. However, we have heard from the World Health Organization, the European Medicines Agency and others that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks at this time.
The WHO urges to remain calm
The EMA and WHO also said that the available data do not indicate that the vaccine causes clotting and that people should continue to be immune to shots.
The WHO on Monday called on countries not to suspend vaccinations against the disease, which has killed more than 2.7 million people worldwide. A top scientist at the UN Health Agency reiterated that there were no documented deaths linked to the COVID-19 vaccine.
“We don’t want people to panic,” said Soumya Swaminath. In some countries there has been no connection yet between the so-called “thromboembolic events” and the Covid-19 shots reported, Soumya Swaminath said.
Concerns seem to have done little to allay suspicions, however, as many countries have temporarily stopped using the AstraZeneca vaccine these days.
People including Denmark, Norway, Ireland, the Netherlands, Iceland and Bulgaria suspended the use of shots.
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