After Blood Clot Reports, AstraZeneca Vaccine Suspended in Many EU Countries

An increasing number of European nations have suspended the use of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines among their constituents. France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, and Italy were among the countries that halted AstraZeneca's rollout because of blood clots' reports after injecting the vaccine to some recipients.

Even Austria, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, and Norway have also halted their AstraZeneca vaccinations over fears of blood clots.

Despite the reports of blood clotting, the U.S. government is still pushing and considering the authorization of AstraZeneca to put in its list of vaccines to be used among Americans. AstraZeneca is a vaccine backed by the World Health Organization (WHO).

RELATED ARTICLE: WHO Clears AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine for Emergency Use

AstraZeneca and EU countries

According to NBC Chicago, there have been 37 reports of blood clots from more than 17 million people vaccinated in 27 European Union and Britain countries. However, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has backed AstraZeneca, saying that there is no indication that the COVID-19 vaccine has caused the blood clots. The agency and the WHO noted that the data does not suggest that the said COVID-19 vaccine caused the clots.

EMA added that there is still no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions not listed as the vaccine's side effects. EMA suggested that people should continue to be immunized while the investigation for the cases is still ongoing.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn said the country had suspended the rollout of AstraZeneca following the advice of their National Vaccine Regulator, which is the Paul Ehrlich Institute.

The said institute has also called for an investigation regarding the seven cases of blood clots in the brains of individuals who received the vaccine.

It can be recalled that COVID-19 vaccines have been blamed for some rare cases of fatal incidents. In Utah, a mom died four days after she got her second dose of the Moderna vaccine, but the relationship between her death and the said vaccine was still unknown.

According to EMA, the number of thromboembolic or blood clot events in vaccinated people is no higher than the number seen in the general population.

EMA noted that the usual side effects of AstraZeneca are commonly mild or moderate and improved within a few days following the vaccination.

Despite blood clotting cases, the WHO called on the EU countries to not suspend the use of the said COVID-19 vaccine to fight the disease that brought around 2.7 million deaths worldwide.

To date, the WHO maintained that there are no cases of death found to have been caused by COVID-19 vaccines.

AstraZeneca and U.S.

While the EU countries are suspending the use of AstraZeneca, USA Today reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could complete its review and issue an authorization on AstraZeneca next month.

Independent U.S. monitors were reviewing the 30,000-person vaccine trial to determine if the said COVID-19 vaccine is safe for vaccination or not, director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis Collins, told Reuters.

A top doctor in Chicago earlier said that the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford "has performed well broadly." However, he noted that there were concerns it might not be as effective against the South African variant.

READ MORE: FDA Reveals New Side Effect of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine

WATCH: Major European Nations Suspend AstraZeneca Vaccination Over Fears of Side Effects - From BBC News