Denmark has suspended doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, with local authorities cautious in the face of reported health issues. The vaccine, developed in tandem with Oxford University, is one of several now proven to protect against the disease. EU countries have approached it with caution, however, with many demanding additional data before rollout.
Why has Denmark stopped using the AstraZeneca jab?
While the AstraZeneca vaccine is proven to prevent cases of Covid-19, some countries have reacted with excessive caution as they consider approving it.
Initially, Denmark was not among them, and approved the jab for general use.
But Danish health authorities recently announced they have temporarily stopped administering the candidate amid reports of blood clots among vaccinated people.
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Their decision is a precautionary one as health authorities have not landed on a concrete cause-and-effect connection between clotting and the vaccine.
Other countries have noted a similar effect with their AstraZeneca rollout, with swift action taken by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
Austrian authorities also suspended their rollout on Sunday when a woman died from multiple thromboses.
The condition is also the result of blood clotting, although a severe case.
They said there was “no indication” the vaccine had caused these clotting-related issues.
The agency added it is “unlikely” the issues were caused by a defect.
The EMA is still investigating the issue, but said cases of clotting amongst vaccinated people are “no higher” than the general populace.
They said: “EMA’s safety committee PRAC is reviewing this issue; it is investigating the cases reported with the batch as well as all other cases of thromboembolic events, and other conditions related to blood clots, reported post-vaccination.”
“The information available so far indicates that the number of thromboembolic events in vaccinated people is no higher than that seen in the general population.
“As of 9 March 2021, 22 cases of thromboembolic events had been reported among the 3 million people vaccinated with COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca in the European Economic Area.”
The Oxford-AstraZeneca jab is one of the most effective currently on the market, alongside the Pfizer and Moderna candidates.
Each vaccine provides protection from more than 90 percent of Covid cases, and reduces the number of severe cases by 100 percent.