Ireland Temporarily Suspends AstraZeneca Vaccine Administration Over Blood Clot Concerns

Reports of Thrombosis Cases Increase, 11 European Countries Temporarily Suspend Vaccinations
EMA "No Confirmed Link with AstraZeneca Vaccine"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] Amid reports of blood clots occurring after AstraZeneca vaccine administration in some European countries leading to suspension of vaccinations, Ireland has also decided to temporarily halt its vaccinations.

According to The Guardian on the 14th (local time), Stephen Donnelly, Ireland's Minister of Health, announced that all supplies of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be temporarily suspended. Irish health authorities made this decision following the death of a citizen in Norway due to blood clots after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine, which was reported the previous day.

Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Ireland, stated in a press release that "it has not been confirmed whether the AstraZeneca vaccine is linked to these side effects," but added, "Following the recommendation of the Irish National Immunization Advisory Committee, vaccinations will be temporarily suspended to ensure safety and further investigations will be conducted." He further mentioned that after receiving additional information from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and conducting analysis, vaccinations will resume immediately once the vaccine's safety is confirmed.

As cases of blood clots among AstraZeneca vaccine recipients increase in European countries, health authorities are concerned because the side effects have been observed in younger age groups in their 30s and 40s. Previously, side effects were feared to occur only in the elderly, leading some countries to exclude older adults from vaccination recommendations, but this time side effects have been found in younger people as well. A Norwegian health official stated, "All recipients who experienced blood clot side effects were under 50 years old," and added, "Similar cases continue to be reported in other countries."

Professor Karina Butler, who leads the Irish National Immunization Advisory Committee, emphasized, "The likelihood of serious side effects occurring in those under 65 years old is extremely low," but added, "It is very concerning that blood clot cases are being found in younger people. A thorough investigation is needed to determine whether there is a connection to the vaccine."

On the other hand, the EMA considers the possibility of a link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clot side effects to be low. On the 12th, the EMA stated, "It has not been confirmed whether the recently reported blood clot cases were caused by the AstraZeneca vaccine," and recommended continuing AstraZeneca vaccinations.

Meanwhile, starting with Austria, about ten countries in Europe have consecutively suspended AstraZeneca vaccine administration as of this day. Following Austria's announcement, Estonia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, the Netherlands, Italy, and Romania have suspended vaccinations for some manufacturing batches or all supplies of AstraZeneca. The UK, Sweden, France, and Spain have announced they will continue administering the AstraZeneca vaccine.

In a statement on the 14th, AstraZeneca said, "After carefully reviewing all possible safety data from approximately 17 million people vaccinated against COVID-19 in the European Union (EU) and the UK, there is no evidence that the risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, or thrombocytopenia is increased in any specific age group, gender, vaccine batch, or any particular country."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.