Ireland Becomes The Latest Country To Suspend The Use Of AstraZeneca Vaccine

Ireland on Sunday became the latest country to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine over concerns about patients developing post-jab blood clots, as nations across the world sought to step up their Covid-19 immunisation drives. 

Several countries including Denmark, Norway and Bulgaria last week paused the rollout of vaccines from the Anglo/Swedish pharma giant over fears of blood clots. 

The World Health Organization has said no causal link had been established between the vaccine and blood clotting. The manufacturer and Europe’s medicines watchdog have also insisted that the vaccine is safe. 

An AstraZeneca spokesman said “an analysis of our safety data that covers reported cases from more than 17 million doses of vaccine administered has shown no evidence of an increased risk” in blood clot conditions. 

“In fact, the reported numbers of these types of events for COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca are lower than the number that would have occurred naturally in the unvaccinated population.” 

AstraZeneca’s shot is among the cheapest available, and forms a bulk of deliveries to poorer nations under the WHO-backed Covax initiative, which aims to ensure the equitable global distribution of vaccines. 

Mass vaccinations are considered critical to ending the pandemic, which has claimed more than 2.6 million lives globally.