Researchers from the Greifswald teaching hospital in northern Germany said on Friday that they had discovered the cause of the unusual blood clot in some recipients of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, public broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) reported.
The study showed how the vaccine caused rare thrombosis in the brain in a small number of patients.
The discovery means that targeted treatment can be offered to those who experience similar clotting with a very common medication.
The success was the result of collaboration between Greifswald Hospital, the health regulator of the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI), as well as doctors in Austria – a nurse there dies of thrombosis in the brain after being vaccinated with the AstraZeneca jab .
The researchers stressed that treatment will only be possible in patients where blood clots occur, rather than a preventative treatment.
The information was shared with hospitals in Europe.
According to the German Research Association for Thrombosis and Hemostasis, symptoms such as persistent headache, dizziness or impaired vision lasting longer than three days after vaccination should undergo further medical examination.
Greifswald’s findings have not yet been published in a scientific journal and have therefore not been reviewed by independent experts. The Paul-Ehrlich Institute in Germany is now investigating the scientists’ work.
AstraZeneca gets back on track in Europe
Germany, along with several other EU countries, suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Monday following reports of unusual blood clots.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Thursday that there was no proven link between the vaccine and the blood clots, based on the information they had. They also stated that the benefits of the sting outweigh any possible risks.
In response to the updated lead, Germany would resume vaccinations with the British-Swedish sample on Friday.
By Thursday, Germany had administered more than 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, including the AstraZeneca vaccine.
DW’s Katja Sterzik contributed to this article.