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ZURICH (REUTERS) – Austrian authorities suspended inoculations with a batch of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine as a precaution while investigating the death of one person and the illness of another after the injections, a health agency said on Sunday (7 of March).
“The Federal Office for Safety in Health Care (BASG) has received two reports on a temporary connection with a vaccine from the same batch of AstraZeneca vaccine at the Zwettl district clinic” in the province of Lower Austria, he said. .
A 49-year-old woman died as a result of severe bleeding disorders, while a 35-year-old woman developed a pulmonary embolism and is recovering, he said. A pulmonary embolism is an acute lung disease caused by a dislodged blood clot.
“There is currently no evidence of a causal relationship with the vaccine,” BASG said.
The Austrian newspaper Niederoesterreichische Nachrichten, as well as the ORF broadcaster and the APA news agency reported that the women were nurses working at the Zwettl clinic.
BASG said that blood clotting was not among the known side effects of the vaccine. He continues his investigation vigorously to completely rule out any possible links.
“As a precautionary measure, the remaining stocks of the affected vaccine lot are no longer being issued or vaccinated,” he added.
An AstraZeneca spokesperson said: “No serious adverse events associated with the vaccine have been confirmed,” adding that all batches are subject to strict and rigorous quality controls.
Trials and real-world experience so far suggest that the vaccine is safe and effective and has been approved for use in more than 50 countries, he said.
AstraZeneca also said it was in contact with the Austrian authorities and would fully support the investigation.
European Union regulators approved the product in late January, saying it was effective and safe to use, while the World Health Organization (WHO) in mid-February listed the product for emergency use.
The adverse reactions observed in the trials were of short duration for the most part and no blood clotting problems were reported.
A safety assessment by Germany’s vaccine regulator of more than 360,000 people who received the Astra vaccine in the country between the launch in early February and February 26 concluded that adverse reactions were in line with the safety profile described in clinical trials.
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