Ireland is the latest country to temporarily suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
What happened: Many European countries now have the use of AstraZeneca Plc (NASDAQ: AZN) COVID-19 vaccines after reports of blood clotting problems.
Ireland on Sunday provided the vaccine as a precautionary measure following further reports of blood clots in people who received it. Authorities in Norway have also reported bleeding under the skin and an “unexpected death due to brain haemorrhage” after patients received the shot.
The list of other countries suspending the vaccine now includes Denmark, Iceland, Austria, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, Estonia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia and Thailand.
In February, South Africa discontinued vaccination with AstraZeneca’s shot, after a small study suggested that AstraZeneca’s sting limitation was limited against the mild illness caused by the variant.
AstraZeneca has defended its vaccine. A statement said: “There was no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots.” An analysis of our safety data of more than 10 million records showed no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis at any given time. group, sex, group or in any particular country with COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca. “
The World Health Organization said on Friday it was reviewing reports of blood clots in some people who had received the vaccine. According to WHO’s chief scientist, dr. Soumya Swaminathan, “it remains unclear whether the vaccine causes the blood clots.”
The European regulator of medicines also said that there is no problem with the vaccine.
Why it matters: This is because AstraZeneca is experiencing supply issues. The company said it would delay delivery of the vaccine due to a shortage of production and export restrictions.
However, the company aims to deliver 100 million doses in the first half of 2021, of which 30 million should be delivered in the first quarter.
AstraZeneca said in a recent statement: “Half of the EU’s supply in the second quarter and 10 million doses in the first quarter would be sourced from the company’s international supply chain. Unfortunately, export restrictions will reduce deliveries in the first quarter. will probably affect deliveries in the second quarter. ‘
The European Commission approved the AstraZeneca vaccine in January and the company began delivering the vaccine to EU countries in February.
© 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.