Countries across Europe have suspended the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine over concerns the jab may cause blood clots, even though medicines regulators and the World Health Organization say there is no evidence of problems. Germany, Italy, France, Spain and the Netherlands became the latest countries to pause the rollout of the jab on Monday. Norway, Denmark and Bulgaria suspended their programmes last week.
The suspensions came as the WHO urged nations not to pause Oxford/AstraZeneca inoculation programmes, having said last week there was no sign the problems had been caused by the jab. Boris Johnson, the UK prime minister, said Britain’s medicines regulator saw “no reason to discontinue” use of the vaccine, with Downing
Street asserting that the jab was deemed by regulators to be both “safe and effective”. Johnson said the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which approved the vaccine for use on December 30, was one of the “toughest and most experienced” in the world.
The European Medicines Agency said it was investigating instances of blood clots and has called an extraordinary meeting for Thursday “to conclude on the information gathered and any further actions that may need to be taken”.
The European suspensions deepen tensions within the EU over the
vaccine, after bitter battles with AstraZeneca over delivery shortfalls. The concerns about the jab highlight a divide with countries including the UK and Canada, which continue to use it.