BERLIN (Reuters) – A spokesman for the health ministry on Monday stopped administering the Covid-19 vaccine to AstraZeneca, saying on Monday that Germany had been upgraded to several European countries following reports that recipients had been taken ill.
The ministry said the decision came on the recommendation of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, the German authority in charge of vaccines.
“Following the recommendation of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, the government is taking precautionary measures to prevent the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine,” the ministry said in a statement. Afternoon local time (1500 GMT).
Several EU countries have called for a halt to the ra strazeneca vaccine following reports of serious side effects, including bleeding and blood clots, from Denmark and Norway.
Last week, Lothar Weiler, head of Germany’s Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases, said there was no evidence that vaccinated patients were more likely than patients of the same age group to tolerate blood conditions.
Millions of people in Britain have so far been vaccinated by a British-Swedish pharma company.
Reported by Thomas Escrit; Edited by Maria Sheehan
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