ROME (Reuters) – Prosecutors in the northern Italian region of Piedmont said on Monday they had seized 393,600 shots of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine following the death of a man hours after he was stabbed.
The move represents another blow to the image of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Italy and will further hamper the government’s vaccination campaign against coronavirus.
Piedmont’s regional government on Sunday suspended the use of the bundle, ABV5811, after Sandro Tognatti, a 57-year-old music teacher, fell ill and died in unexplained conditions.
Magistrates in Sicily last week ordered that a separate vaccine AstraZeneca be seized after the sudden death of two men who had recently been vaccinated.
The Italian government said there was no evidence of a link between the deaths and the jabs, and allowed the AstraZeneca vaccine to continue to be administered.
In contrast, Ireland, Denmark, Norway and Iceland have suspended the use of the vaccine due to clotting problems, some of which are fatal, in people who have used it.
Tognatti had his shot on Saturday afternoon, his wife told Italian newspapers. He developed a high temperature during the night and felt sick again on Sunday morning. An ambulance was called, but he died shortly afterwards.
“It is therefore important to ensure that continued administration of the drug throughout the country does not lead to further consequences (harmful or fatal) … until we are absolutely certain that (Tognatti)’s death cannot be attributed to the above vaccination. not, ‘prosecutor Teresa Angela Camelio said in a statement.
(Reporting by Emilio Parodi and Angelo Amante, written by Gavin Jones and Crispian Balmer; edited by Philippa Fletcher)