Ireland suspends use of AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine

After several European countries decided to impose a temporary ban on the usage of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine, Ireland has also decided to suspend the use of this vaccine.

"The administration of COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca is temporarily deferred from this morning, Sunday 14th March," a health ministry spokesperson told the news agency AFP.

Also read | Norway probes blood clot cases after AstraZeneca vaccine suspension

This decision has been taken after there were several reported cases of blood clots being formed in people who took a shot of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine.

Earlier, Ireland's National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NUAC) had recommended suspending the rollout of AstraZeneca as a "precautionary principal" after "a report from the Norwegian Medicines Agency of four new reports of serious blood clotting events in adults after vaccination".

While it hasn't been concluded yet if there is any link between the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine and the blood clot cases, Ireland claims the decision has been taken "pending receipt of further information," Ireland's deputy chief medical officer Ronan Glynn said.

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As of now, nearly 570,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have been administered in Ireland, as per government data.

Meanwhile, AstraZeneca has denied these claims saying, "An analysis of our safety data that covers reported cases from more than 17 million doses of vaccine administered has shown no evidence of an increased risk" in blood clot conditions.

"In fact, the reported numbers of these types of events for COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca are lower than the number that would have occurred naturally in the unvaccinated population," the statement read.

Ireland's announcement came a few hours after Norway reported three more cases of blood clots or brain haemorrhages in younger people who received the AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab, but said they could not yet say they were vaccine-related.