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Germany, France and Italy have halted the rollout of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, after a series of incidents in Europe involving blood clots.
They join several small European countries which have interrupted vaccinations as a precaution while checks are being carried out.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said there is no evidence that the incidents are caused by the vaccine.
He said he was reviewing the reports relating to the coup, but it was important that the vaccinations continue.
He added that it was good practice to investigate potential adverse events.
There have been a number of cases in Europe of blood clots developing after administration of the vaccine.
However, experts say the number of blood clots reported after the vaccine was not higher than those typically reported in the general population.
About 17 million people in the EU and UK have received a dose of the vaccine, with less than 40 cases of blood clots reported last week, AstraZeneca said.
What measures are taken?
Germany’s health ministry said on Monday it would stop administering the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine with immediate effect, on the recommendation of the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI), the country’s vaccine authority.
“After new reports of cerebral vein thrombosis in connection with vaccination in Germany and Europe, Prince Edward Island considers that further investigations are necessary,” said the ministry, quoted by the agency. AFP press.
Shortly after, French President Emmanuel Macron said France was suspending the vaccine until a further notice was given by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Tuesday afternoon.
And the Italian medicines agency has extended a ban introduced on individual batches of vaccine across the country, also pending the EMA’s decision.
The suspensions came less than a day after the Netherlands followed suit. He said his suspension – which will last at least until March 29 – was a precaution.
The Republic of Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Bulgaria and Iceland have also temporarily halted vaccinations with the vaccine, while the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Indonesia have postponed the start of their deployments. Several European countries, including Austria, have suspended the use of certain batches of the drug as a precautionary measure.
Thailand said it will start using the vaccine on Tuesday, following a brief delay in rollout due to safety concerns.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said health experts assured him that all vaccines given in the country, including those from AstraZeneca, were safe.
What are the WHO and other experts saying?
WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said the body was investigating the information.
“As soon as the WHO fully understands these events, the results and any unlikely changes to the current recommendations will be immediately communicated to the public,” he said.
“To date, there is no evidence that the incidents are caused by the vaccine and it is important that vaccination campaigns continue so that we can save lives and stem serious illnesses caused by the virus.”
The European Medical Association – which is also currently conducting a review of blood clot incidents – said the vaccine could continue to be given.
The UK medicines regulator also said the evidence “does not suggest” that the vaccine causes clots, as it has urged residents of the country to get the vaccine when asked to do so.
Professor Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford vaccination group that developed the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, told the BBC’s Today program that there was “very reassuring evidence that there is no increased blood clot phenomenon here in UK where most doses in Europe [have] been given so far ”.
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