Denmark suspends Oxford Covid vaccine after patient dies with blood clot

Denmark has suspended the use of the Oxford AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine while it investigates possible serious side effects. A 49-year-old Austrian woman died of ‘severe blood coagulation problems’ after taking the jab, and three more cases of blood clotting issues have been reported in the country.

The country is investigating whether the vaccine is linked with fatal blood clots (Picture: Reuters / EPA)

It is not yet known whether the injection is connected to the blood clots, but health authorities say they are ‘acting early’ to fully investigate the reports.

Denmark’s health minister, Magnus Heunicke, tweeted: ‘The health authorities have, due to precautionary measures, suspended vaccination with AstraZeneca following a signal of a possible serious side effect in the form of fatal blood clots.

‘It is currently not possible to conclude whether there is a connection. We act early, it needs to be thoroughly investigated.’ The country joins five others which have suspended the vaccine as a result – Austria, Estonia, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Latvia. But the European Medicines Agency announced yesterday it had found no link between the Oxford vaccine and the woman’s death. ‘There is currently no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions, which are not listed as side effects with this vaccine,’ it said in a statement.

A 49-year-old Austrian woman died of ‘severe blood coagulation problems’ after taking the jab,
and it is now being investigated whether the two are connected (Picture: Reuters)

It said however the quality of that particular batch is being investigated. ‘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,’ the statement added. AstraZeneca said its vaccine doses are subject to strict and rigorous quality controls, and that there have been ‘no confirmed serious adverse events associated with the vaccine’. It said it was in contact with Austrian authorities and would fully support the investigation.

The Oxford jab is among a number of vaccines, including the Pfizer jab, which have been in use across Europe since being approved by the European Medical Agency. It comes after EU leaders – particularly in France and Germany – have been criticised for casting doubts over the Oxford jab. Germany announced last week it is set to open up the vaccine for use in people over 65.

EU leaders have been criticised for casting doubt over the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)

This is a U-turn for the country after it previously only recommended it for younger people due to what was seen as a lack of data. The AstraZeneca vaccine is generally approved in the EU – and therefore in Germany – for people aged 18 and over. But Germany is now expected to recommend it for older people, saying new studies now show it is effective. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen also warned more vaccine supplies could be stopped from leaving the EU as it attempts to catch up with a slow start to its vaccination rollout scheme.

She said Italy’s move to stop a shipment of 250,000 AstraZeneca vaccines leaving for Australia last week was ‘not a one off’. Italy was the first country to use a controversial export control mechanism to block the doses from being exported. A shortage of jabs in virus-hit Europe was cited as the reason for the move, as the contracts row between AstraZeneca and the EU continues.

 

Source:https://metro.co.uk/