Denmark, Norway, Iceland suspend use of AstraZeneca vaccine over clot fears

Denmark, Norway and Iceland all temporarily suspend the use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine over concerns about patients developing post-shot blood clots, as the manufacturer and Europe’s medicine watchdog insist the vaccine is safe.

Denmark is first to announce its suspension, “following reports of serious cases of blood clots” among people who had received the vaccine, the country’s Health Authority says in a statement.

It stresses the move is precautionary, and that “it has not been determined, at the time being, that there is a link between the vaccine and the blood clots.”

As of March 9, 22 cases of blood clots have been reported among more than three million people vaccinated in the European Economic Area, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) says.

Austria announced on Monday that it had suspended the use of a batch of AstraZeneca vaccines after a 49-year-old nurse died of “severe blood coagulation problems” days after receiving a shot.

A health worker prepares a dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to be administered at a vaccination center set up in front of Rome’s Termini central station, Monday, March 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)