LONDON (AP) – Irish health officials on Sunday recommended the temporary suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine after reporting severe blood clots following inoculations in Norway.
Dr Ronan Glynn, Ireland’s deputy medical director, said the recommendation was made after the Norwegian drug agency reported four cases of blood clotting in adults after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.
He said that while there was no conclusive link between the vaccine and the cases, Irish health officials recommend suspending the launch of the vaccine as a precaution. The Danish, Norwegian and Icelandic authorities have taken similar precautionary measures.
AstraZeneca said in a statement on Sunday that it “would like to offer its assurance on the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine based on clear scientific evidence.”
“Public safety will always come first,” said the British-Swedish biopharmaceutical company, which added that “this issue remains under close review, but available evidence does not confirm that the vaccine is the cause.”
The company said a review of safety data from more than 17 million people who have received the AstraZeneca vaccine in the European Union and the UK “has shown no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism.” deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or thrombocytopenia, in any age group, gender, defined group or in any particular country. “
The World Health Organization and the European Union’s drug regulator have previously said there was no link between the sting and an increased risk of developing a clot.
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