Spain has joined EU countries to temporarily halt the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine after reports from Denmark about the development of blood clots in some vaccinated patients.
According to El Pais, sources in the Ministry of Health said this.
After a series of announcements from the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Italy, which one after another decided to stop the use of the vaccine pending the withdrawal of the EU regulator about a possible side effect, an urgent meeting was convened in the country.
According to sources present at the meeting, the ministry decided to collect information on possible side effects and then, depending on the conclusion, resume vaccination.
“The administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Spain was suspended on Monday afternoon, according to sources from the Ministry of Health,” La Vanguardia also said. This decision was allegedly resorted to for reasons of caution, while the EU regulator completes the study of cases that may be side effects of the vaccine.
As of Friday, March 12, regions of Spain have received over 1.7 million doses of Astrazeneca vaccine, of which 814,000 have already been used.
Until now, in Spain, this vaccine has only been used for groups under the age of 55.
Recall that before this, a number of European countries had already suspended vaccination with the drug AstraZeneca after the formation of blood clots in some vaccinated patients in Denmark. It is currently not proven that these cases are related to vaccination.
The latest series of such decisions appeared on March 15 — the use of the vaccine was suspended by the Netherlands, Germany, followed by France and Italy.
The European Medicines Agency believes that the AstraZeneca vaccine can continue to be used during the investigation and that the number of thromboembolic events in vaccinated people is no higher than in the general population.
“There is currently no evidence that these incidents are caused by vaccinations. It is important that the campaign continues so that we can save lives and prevent severe disease,” the BBC quotes WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeer.
