Denmark, Norway suspend use of Astra vaccine over blood clots concerns

The precautionary move follows signals of a possible serious side effect in the form of 'deadly blood clots'

Denmark suspended use of AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine after concerns were raised over potentially dangerous side effects.

Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said it’s a precautionary move, following “signals of a possible serious side effect in the form of deadly blood clots.” Denmark has opted to act early and will investigate the development thoroughly, he said in a tweet.

Astra didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Shares in AstraZeneca fell as much as 2.7 per cent after the news hit. The development in Denmark follows news from Austria, where authorities last weekend suspended the use of one batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine after reports of a death and an illness among recipients. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Wednesday that its safety committee is investigating the cases reported in Austria, but there’s currently no indication that the shots have caused blood clotting.

Denmark’s decision follows reports of one Danish fatality, though authorities are stressing that it’s currently not possible to conclude that there’s a link between those events and AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine. Still, the country will suspend use of the vaccine for two weeks, with a new assessment due in the week starting Monday March 22.

Following Denmark’s decision, Norway and Italy’s health authorities said on Thursday they were suspending the use of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine as a precaution.