Nordic caution keeps AstraZeneca shots on hold, says recipients are admitted

Sweden, Denmark and Norway on Friday said more time is needed to know whether to use AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine.

“We need time to get to the bottom of this,” Soren Brostrom, head of the Danish Health Authority, announced.

“This does not change the fact that, on the basis of a precautionary principle, we are continuing our suspension, because we need to understand this better, so that we can say with certainty that we recommend this vaccine,” Brostrom said.

Meanwhile, some of European countries last week suspended the use of the vaccine due to its reactions in some people.

Though, Finland had announced that it would suspend the use of the AstraZeneca’s covid-19 vaccine in order to investigate the two suspected cases of blood clots.

After investigation we can better inform people about the risk associated with the vaccine if there is one,” said Taneli Puumalainen, chief physician at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.

Health authorities in all four Nordic countries said they planned to decide on the future use of the AstraZeneca vaccine next week.

Norway has so far reported five cases in which recipients of the vaccine were later admitted to hospital with a combination of blood clots, bleedings and low platelets, one of whom has died.

A sixth person, who also got the vaccine, has died from brain a haemorrhage in combination with a low count of platelets.

Health authorities in Nordic countries have said they planned to decide on the future use of the AstraZeneca’s vaccine next week.