Ireland and Netherlands suspends Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine

Ireland on Sunday followed an expanding list of countries that have temporarily halted the use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine over reports of serious blood clotting events in immunized people.

The Netherlands began suit later that day, saying the measure was the care and would be in place for two weeks.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated there was no link between the jab and an enhanced risk of developing a clot, and neighboring countries should not stop the use of AstraZeneca's vaccine.

On Wednesday, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) declared there is currently no data to link the vaccine to health created by two people in Austria who had been inoculated.

"It has not been concluded that there is a link between the COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca and these cases" of plasma clotting, Dr Ronan Glynn, Ireland's Deputy Chief Medical Officer, said in a statement.

"However, working on the alert principal and continuing receipt of further information, the NIAC [National Immunisation Advisory Committee] has recommended the short deferral of the COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca medicine programme in Ireland," he added.

The health ministry in the Netherlands said the move happened six new reports in Denmark and Norway of blood clotting and lowered levels of blood platelets in people aged under 50.

The Dutch medicines court also stressed that no link has been proven between the cases and the vaccine.

The health ministry added that no cases had been reported in the Netherlands.

A review of the safety data from over 17 million people vaccinated with the jab in the UK and the EU has not shown any heightened risk of blood clots, AstraZeneca Plc said on Sunday..

It comes a day after the pharmaceutical company announced further cuts to deliveries of its COVID-19 vaccine to the European Union, citing export restrictions for the move.

AstraZeneca announced that it would only be able to deliver 40 million doses to the EU27 in the first section of the year out of the 120 million it had initially inspired due to product hassles at the end of January a Belgian plant.