Germany, France and Italy enlisted among the countries to suspend the Covid-19 vaccine from Oxford-AstraZeneca, after receiving reports of unusual blood clotting problems among a few people who recently received the shots in Norway. Denmark, Iceland, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia and the Netherlands have also suspended AstraZeneca vaccinations.
Health ministry of Germany referred to the advice of the national health regulator in its decision to suspend the vaccine, though global health officials have cautioned that millions of people have received it without any problems. However, experts around the world insist that there is no evidence of a causal link between clotting and the vaccine, with investigations from the European Medicines Agency and other regulators still underway.
On the other hand, Thailand said that it would resume distribution of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha among the first to receive it.
Europe is facing a third wave of infections, with Italy imposing strict new restrictions and France considering doing the same. Hungary’s prime minister predicted hospitals this week would be at their most overwhelmed since the start of the pandemic. The spread of coronavirus variants and slow vaccination rates are among the likely factors.
