Coronavirus Covid-19: Denmark, Norway and Iceland pause AstraZeneca vaccine injections to investigate blood clots

Health authorities in three European countries have suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine due to concerns that it could increase the risk of blood clots, but stressed that they were taking steps as a precaution.

Denmark was the first country to temporarily suspend the use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine after reports of blood clots in some people, but its health authority said today that it has no evidence that the vaccine is responsible.

Denmark acted after a 60-year-old woman who received an injection died after developing a blood clot.

In today’s barrage of suspensions, Norway and Iceland followed Denmark’s lead. Italy and Romania also paused injections, but only from a different batch of vaccine than had raised concerns elsewhere.

Other experts noted that of the millions of injections of the AstraZeneca vaccine given elsewhere, including in Britain, no cases have been reported of the vaccine causing blood clots or related problems.

The Danish Health Authority said its decision was based “on a precautionary principle.”

“At present, it cannot be concluded whether there is a link between the vaccine and blood clots,” authorities said. Danish officials did not say whether the patient who died after developing a blood clot had any underlying conditions and did not provide other details.

In a statement today, the European Medicines Agency said that “the benefits of the vaccine continue to outweigh its risks and the vaccine can continue to be administered” while a closer evaluation of blood clot cases continues.

“There is currently no indication that vaccination caused these conditions,” the regulator said. He said that the number of people with blood clots in vaccinated people was no greater than those who had not been inoculated.

Some doctors pointed out that people who are now vaccinated against Covid-19 are more likely to have health problems and that it would be difficult to determine whether a vaccine is responsible.

“The vast majority of people getting vaccinated at this time are elderly or have underlying diseases,” said Dr. Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia. “They will be at a higher risk of suffering all kinds of adverse outcomes, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated or not.”

Hunter said there were 11 reports of blood clots in Britain among the more than 11 million people who received the AstraZeneca vaccine, and that none have been caused by the injection. He said stopping vaccines was also a risky decision in itself.

“When you stop vaccinating, you know that some people will die from Covid-19,” he said.

The Danish suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine will last at least two weeks, the agency said, adding that it depends on an assessment by the EU medical regulator.

“Like others, I find [the pausing] and its annoying consequences. It is too early to conclude in this case and when there is a risk, it should be investigated, “said Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

After the Danish announcement, Norway decided to do the same and temporarily suspend the Anglo-Swedish company’s vaccine, which was developed by the University of Oxford, and also said there are no proven links.

Italy’s pharmaceutical agency today ordered a preventive ban on a particular batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine after what it said were “serious adverse events.”

In an interview with La Sexta broadcaster, Spanish Health Minister Carolina Darias said there had been no similar incidents in Spain and said only minor side effects from the AstraZeneca vaccine had been reported.

Dr Bharat Pankhania, an infectious disease expert at the University of Exeter in Great Britain, called Denmark’s decision to stop the use of AstraZeneca injections as “a dramatic step”.

“The vaccine has been given to several million people worldwide and we have not had similar reports of vaccine-induced clotting,” he said, adding that blood clots were more likely to be “separate and unrelated events.”

Britain’s drug regulator reacted by noting that there was no confirmation that the reported blood clot was caused by the AstraZeneca vaccine. “People should go get the Covid-19 vaccine when requested,” he said.

But Hendrik Streeck, a German virologist at the University of Bonn, said the Danish decision was the right one.

“It is not clear what the cause was, that is why vaccines are being discontinued for now,” Streeck told German broadcaster n-tv. “In very rare cases, there may be a problem with a specific batch. Now they are looking for what caused the clot.

“We don’t want to put anyone at risk, but I’m not worried. In Denmark, exactly the right thing is being done.”

On Wednesday (Thursday NZT), the EMA said Austria had suspended the use of a batch of the Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by AstraZeneca after one person was diagnosed with multiple blood clots died 10 days after vaccination and another was hospitalized with blocked arteries. in the lungs after being vaccinated. The latter is now on the mend.

Two other reports of similar problems had been received for this batch as of March 9, the EMA said, although there is no indication that the problems were caused by the vaccine.

The EMA said the batch of 1 million doses in question was delivered to 17 EU countries.

Germany’s Paul Ehrlich Institute, which oversees vaccine-related matters, said it was in contact with Danish authorities and the EMA on the matter, but that no doses from the batch used in Austria were on the German market.