Medics who received AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in Norway treated for blood clots

Three health workers in Norway who recently received the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 are being treated in hospital for blood clots, Norwegian health authorities said on Saturday.

Norway halted on Thursday the rollout of that vaccine, following a similar move by Denmark. Iceland later followed suit.

“We do not know if the cases are linked to the vaccine,” Sigurd Hortemo, a senior doctor at the Norwegian Medicines Agency told a news conference held jointly with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

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All three individuals were under the age of 50.

The European medicine regulator EMA would investigate the three incidents, he added.

Before Denmark’s and Norway’s move, Austria stopped using a batch of AstraZeneca shots while investigating a death from coagulation disorders and an illness from a pulmonary embolism.

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Still, EMA on Thursday said the vaccine’s benefits outweighed its risks and could continue to be administered.

Europe is struggling to speed up a vaccine rollout after delivery delays from Pfizer and AstraZeneca, even as a spike in cases amid a more contagious virus variant has triggered fresh lockdowns in countries like Italy and France.

Read more:

‘No evidence’ of higher blood clots risk from vaccine: AstraZeneca

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No reason to stop using AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine: WHO