LONDON – 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. The World Health Organization and the European Union’s drug regulator said earlier this week that there was no link between the sting and an increased risk of developing a clot.
The UK drug regulator, the MHRA, said on Thursday that “reports of blood clots received so far do not exceed the number that would have occurred naturally in the vaccinated population” and that “the available evidence does not confirm that the vaccine is the cause. ”
It was said that people would still have to go get the COVID-19 vaccine when asked.
