Europe

Spain probes patient death after AstraZeneca jab

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Three cases of people who suffered from thrombosis after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine, one of whom died, are under investigation, Spanish health officials said Wednesday. The announcement by Madrid’s AEMPS medicines agency came two days after the government suspended use of the vaccine for at least a fortnight as a precaution. The three cases happened between late Monday and early Tuesday. “It could be related to the vaccine or not,” Health […]

EU regulator ‘convinced’ AstraZeneca jab benefits outweigh risks

by Danny Kemp with Agence France Presse bureaus Den Haag, Netherlands (AFP) — The EU’s medicines regulator said Tuesday it was “firmly convinced” the benefits of AstraZeneca’s vaccine outweigh potential risks, insisting there was no evidence linking it to blood clots after several nations suspended the shot over health fears. The suspensions have provoked intense debate over whether it was prudent to put AstraZeneca inoculations on hold just as vaccination campaigns were beginning to gather […]

Health worker in Norway dies after AstraZeneca jab

OSLO, Norway (AFP) — A health worker in Norway has died of a brain haemorrhage after receiving the AstraZeneca anti-Covid vaccine, though no direct link to the jab has been established, health authorities said Monday. This is the second such fatality within a few days in the Nordic country, which had suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine as a precaution last Thursday. On Saturday, Norway’s health authorities said three health care employees had been […]

German ICU doctors urge ‘immediate return’ to partial lockdown

  BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Intensive care doctors in Germany warned Monday that the country would need to make an “immediate return” to partial lockdown if it is to avoid stumbling into a dangerous third wave of the coronavirus pandemic. “From the data we currently have and with the spread of the British mutation, we would argue strongly to return immediately into a lockdown to avoid a strong third wave,” Christian Karagiannidis, director of Germany’s […]

Italy under virus curbs again as Dutch, Irish stop AstraZeneca shots

by Agence France Presse Bureaus Coronavirus restrictions were reimposed across much of Italy on Monday, while Ireland and the Netherlands became the latest countries to suspend AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 shots over blood clot fears despite the firm and the WHO insisting there is no risk. More than 350 million vaccine doses have been administered globally so far, and the AstraZeneca shot — among the cheapest available — is crucial to roll-outs in poorer parts of the […]

Netherlands suspends rollout of AstraZeneca jab

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — Dutch health officials said they had suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine on Sunday for two weeks after “possible side effects” were reported in Denmark and Norway. “Based on new information, the Dutch Medicines Authority has advised, as a precautionary measure and pending further investigation, to suspend the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine,” the Health Ministry said in a statement. “The crucial question is whether these are complaints after […]

Italian region suspends AstraZeneca jabs after death

ROME, Italy (AFP) — Italy’s northern Piedmont region on Sunday suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine after the death of a teacher who had received it the day before, the regional health authority said. The woman, who age has not been disclosed, died Sunday at Biella, a town north of Turin. “This is an extreme precautionary measure, while waiting to see if there exists a causal link between the vaccination and the death,” said a […]

Ireland halts AstraZeneca jabs, as nations battle to step up vaccinations

  by Joe Stenson with AFP bureaus Agence France Presse DUBLIN, Ireland (AFP) — 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 […]

Norway probes blood clot cases after jab suspension

OSLO, Norway (AFP) — Norwegian health officials reported three more cases of blood clots or brain haemorrhages in younger people who received the AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab, but said they could not yet say they were vaccine-related. The Norwegian Medicines Agency said similar incidents had been reported in other European countries. While there was no proof of a link to the vaccine, anyone under 50 who felt unwell and developed large blue patches after vaccination should […]

Pfizer jab 97% effective against symptomatic Covid: study

BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Pfizer/BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine offers more protection than earlier thought with effectiveness in preventing symptomatic disease reaching 97 percent, according to real-world evidence published Thursday by the pharmaceutical companies. Using data from January 17 to March 6 from Israel’s national vaccination campaign, Pfizer/BioNTech found that prevention against asymptomatic disease also reached 94 percent. An earlier real-world study using data from between December 20, 2020 and February 1, 2021 had showed effectiveness at […]

Italy bans batch of AstraZeneca jab but plays down risks

ROME, Italy (AFP) — Italy’s medicines regulator on Thursday banned the use of a batch of AstraZeneca/Oxford coronavirus vaccine as a precaution, triggering a similar decision from fellow EU member Romania. The Italian regulator made the decision despite saying there was no established link between the vaccine and reports of some people suffering blood clots days after receiving the shot. “Following the reporting of some serious adverse events… AIFA has decided, as a precaution, to […]

Denmark suspends use of AstraZeneca vaccine over blood clot fears

  COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AFP) — Danish health authorities said Thursday they were temporarily suspending the use of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine after some patients developed blood clots since receiving the jab. The move comes “following reports of serious cases of blood clots among people vaccinated with AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine”, the Danish Health Authority said in a statement. But it cautiously added that “it has not been determined, at the time being, that there is a link […]