Germany, France And Italy Temporarily Halt Use Of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 Vaccine Over Blood Clot Concerns

In a major development, France, Germany and Italy have also joined the growing list of nations that have suspended the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by pharmaceutical major AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, reports Hindustan Times.

This comes after a host of nations reported possible serious side-effects. This started as Denmark and Norway last week suspended the use of the said vaccine, citing isolated cases of bleeding, blood clots and a low platelet count. Soon, Iceland, Bulgaria, Ireland and Netherlands also followed suit to announce a suspension of usage.

The development gains significance as it comes at a time when Germany is battling a third wave of COVID-19 cases, hospital facilities in Paris are getting overwhelmed and Italy has announced another lockdown to contain the ongoing surge in fresh cases.

Meanwhile, Spain and Austria have suspended the use of particular batches of the vaccine.

However, the United Kingdom has said that it had no concerns over the vaccine. Also, Poland has said that the benefits outweigh the risks. World Health Organisation (WHO) has also advised the nations against suspending the use of the vaccine.