Italian region blocks AstraZeneca vaccination after woman’s death



[ad_1]

Italy’s northern Piedmont region decided on Sunday to stop vaccination with AstraZeneca after a teacher died the day after vaccination, regional officials said.

An unspecified woman died Sunday in the town of Bjela, north of Turin.

“This is an extreme preventive measure while we await data on whether there is a causal link between the vaccine and this death,” said Luigi Genesio Icardi, health adviser for the region.

Last Thursday, Italy decided to stop vaccinating a batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine for fear of blood clots.

This is an extreme preventive measure while we wait for data on whether there is a causal link between the vaccine and this death.

On Sunday, Health Ministry inspectors arrived in Sicily to investigate the death of a 43-year-old soldier last Tuesday after he was vaccinated. The autopsy was carried out on Saturday in a hospital in Catania.

Several countries, including Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Bulgaria, have stopped using the vaccine for fear that one of its side effects is the formation of blood clots.

There is no reason to consider AstraZeneca dangerous

There is no credible evidence that the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 poses a health risk, Giorgio Palu, director of the Italian Medicines Agency, said on Sunday.

“Links between human deaths and AstraZeneca vaccination have not been established,” he said according to Italian television.

Palu’s statement came after Italy’s Piedmont region suspended use of a batch of the vaccine on Sunday. Such a decision was made after the death of a person whose age had not been announced the day after vaccination.

Additionally, earlier this week, Italian authorities suspended the use of a single batch of AstraZeneca vaccines following the death of a 43-year-old vaccinated man in Sicily. Currently, experts are investigating whether vaccination may have caused it.

This week, several European countries, including Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Bulgaria, stopped using AstraZeneca for fear that one of its side effects would be blood clots.

The World Health Organization has previously announced that its Advisory Committee on Vaccines is reviewing safety data. However, the WHO stressed that there is currently no causal link between this vaccine and clots.

AstraZeneca states that their vaccine is safe.



[ad_2]