BERLIN (AP) – Italy’s drug regulator on Monday announced the precautionary, temporary ban on the use of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine amid new reports of people developing dangerous blood clots after taking the shot.
The Italian Aifa said the decision was “taken in accordance with similar measures taken by other European countries.”
It added that a further investigation into the case is currently underway. ‘The announcement follows a day of the latest known death of a person in Italy shortly after receiving the vaccine. A 57-year-old clarinet teacher, who received the vaccine in the North Piedmont region on Saturday night as part of a national rollout for teachers, died early Sunday morning at home.
Autopsies were ordered for the death, as well as a handful of other deaths last week from others in Italy who received the vaccine.
France and Germany also suspended use of the vaccine on Monday. AstraZeneca and global health authorities maintain that the chance is safe.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s previous story follows below.
BERLIN (AP) – French President Emmanuel Macron says France is suspending the use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine out of precaution.
Macron told a news conference on Monday that the French authorities had decided to suspend shots until Tuesday afternoon, when the European Medicines Agency would issue its recommendation on the vaccine. He did not elaborate on the reasons for the decision.
He said France hopes to be able to vaccinate again with AstraZeneca shots soon.
Other countries, including Germany, said on Monday that it would temporarily halt the use of the vaccine as a precaution amid reports that some people were getting blood clots after receiving the shot.
AstraZeneca and global health authorities maintain that the chance is safe.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s previous story follows below.
BERLIN (AP) – Germany on Monday became the largest country in Europe to suspend the use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine due to reports of dangerous blood clots in some recipients, although the company and European regulators said there was no evidence that the shot does not get the blame.
The country’s health minister said the decision was taken on the advice of German national vaccine regulator, the Paul Ehrlich Institute, which called for further investigation into seven reported cases of blood clots in the brains of people who had been vaccinated.
“Today’s decision is a pure precaution,” said Jens Spahn.
Several countries, which started with Denmark last week, have temporarily suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in recent days to investigate cases of blood clots that occurred after vaccination. These include Ireland, Thailand, the Netherlands, Norway, Iceland, Congo and Bulgaria.
Last week, Germany was one of several countries that stayed on the shot.
Blood clots can move through the body and cause heart attacks, strokes and fatal blockages in the lungs.
AstraZeneca said there was no cause for concern about the vaccine and that there were fewer cases of thrombosis in those who received the shot than in the general population.
The European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization also said that the data do not indicate that the vaccine caused the blood clots and that people still need to be vaccinated.
Spahn, the German health minister, said of the decision to suspend the AstraZeneca shot: “The most important thing for trust is transparency.”
Spahn said the European Medicines Agency would determine if and how the new information would affect the authorization of the vaccine across the continent, and expressed hope that the regulator in Amsterdam would make a decision on it this week.
According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Germany has received just over 3 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. According to Spahn, about 1.6 million doses of the shot have been administered in the country so far.
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