AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The Netherlands joined a list of countries on Sunday that suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine following reports of possible unexpected side effects from the injection.
The vaccine will not be used until at least March 29 as a precaution, the Dutch government said in a statement.
The announcement will cause delays in the deployment of shots in the Netherlands, which had pre-ordered 12 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine.
Health authorities had scheduled some 290,000 injections of AstraZeneca in the next two weeks.
The move, which follows a similar decision by Ireland earlier in the day, is based on reports from Denmark and Norway about possible serious side effects, the government said.
Three Norwegian health workers who had recently received the vaccine were being treated at the hospital for bleeding, blood clots and a low number of blood platelets, Norwegian health authorities said on Saturday.
According to the Dutch health ministry, no such case had yet been found in the Netherlands and he added that there was still no evidence of a direct link between the vaccine and reports from Denmark and Norway.
“We cannot allow any doubt about the vaccine,” Dutch Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said.
“We have to make sure everything is okay, so it’s advisable to take a break for now.”
AstraZeneca said Sunday that a review of the safety data of people vaccinated with their COVID-19 vaccine shows no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots.
Late last week, the Dutch government said there was no reason to stop using the AstraZeneca vaccine, as the EMA said there was no indication it could cause blood clots.
But De Jonge said his decision was informed by new reports, which would now be investigated by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
Along with Denmark, Norway and Ireland, Iceland has also suspended the use of the vaccine due to clotting problems, while Thailand on Friday became the first country outside Europe.
The northern Italian region of Piedmont on Sunday said it would stop using a batch of AstraZeneca vaccines after a teacher died on Saturday after his vaccination. Austria also stopped using a specific batch last week.
Reports by Bart Meijer; Edited by Diane Craft and Lincoln Feast.