Finland resumes use of AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine for people above 65 yrs

Finland has resumed the use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, but only for people over the age of 65, as per the guidelines issued by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).

In a statement on Monday, the THL said that it was still investigating the possibility of side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine in younger adults, reports Xinhua news agency.

Use of the AstraZeneca vaccine was suspended in Finland on March 19 as a precautionary measure after two individuals were diagnosed with blood clotting after inoculation.

The resumption of the use of the vaccine is based on a statement by Finland's national vaccine expert group that it was safe for use for people aged 65 and older.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has also conducted an investigation and said it considers the vaccine safe and effective.

"There is no increased risk of the very rare blood clotting disorder after vaccination in people over 65 years of age, whose possible association with the AstraZeneca vaccine is currently being investigated.

"Vaccinations for this age group can therefore be continued as normal," Taneli Puumalainen, chief physician at the THL, was quoted as saying in the statement.

As a precautionary measure, the AstraZeneca vaccine is not currently administered to people under 65 years of age in the other Nordic countries and in Germany.

The Finnish health authority said that use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for people under the age of 65 may continue after the Easter holiday at the earliest.

To date, more than 180,000 people in Finland have received the AstraZeneca vaccine.

--IANS

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