HELSINKI: Finland has suspended the use of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine while it investigates two possible cases of blood clots, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare said on Friday.
The institute said it estimated that the investigation would take at least one week. It said earlier this week that it had received any reports of cases of blood clots among people who had taken the AstraZeneca vaccine in Finland.
On March 16, the World Health Organization appealed to countries not to pause vaccination campaigns after two more European nations and one in Asia joined a handful that have suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine over safety fears.
Thailand announced plans on Monday to go ahead with the Anglo-Swedish firm’s shot but Indonesia said it would wait after Ireland and the Netherlands announced suspensions on Sunday.
Denmark and Norway have reported isolated cases of bleeding, blood clots and a low platelet count after the AstraZeneca vaccine. Iceland and Bulgaria had earlier suspended its use while Austria and Italy have stopped using particular batches.
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France, Germany and the United Kingdom say they have no concerns.
The WHO said its advisory panel was reviewing reports related to the shot and would release its findings as soon as possible. But it said it was unlikely to change its recommendations, issued last month, for widespread use, including in countries where the South African variant of the virus may reduce its efficacy.
AstraZeneca’s shot was among the first and cheapest to be developed and launched at volume since the coronavirus was first identified in central China at the end of 2019 and is set to be the mainstay of vaccination programmes in much of the developing world. The virus has killed more than 2.7 million people.
