Denmark Extends Suspension of AstraZeneca for 3 Weeks

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Denmark decided to extend the suspension AstraZeneca vaccination by another three weeks, Soren Brostrom, the director general of the Danish health authority, said on Thursday.

"The decision to put vaccination with the COVID-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca on hold is extended for another three weeks. The decision ... remains in effect because the assessment of the use of the vaccine in the Danish vaccination programme against COVID-19 is still ongoing", the authorities stated in the official press release.

In total, the extension will count towards a five-week suspension of the vaccine in Denmark. The authorities warned that all bookings for AstraZeneca vaccination are to be cancelled, and people who have already received the first dose will need to wait until the investigations produce conclusive results.

"At this time, we believe that our basis for making a final decision on any future use of the COVID-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca is too uncertain. Many studies have been initiated, but we do not yet have any conclusions. Therefore, the hold on using the vaccine remains in effect", Brostrom said in the official statement.

On 11 March, Denmark alongside some other European countries halted the use of AstraZeneca due to rising safety concerns following reports of several severe cases of blood clotting after vaccination.

 

A week later, a preliminary review by the European Medicines Agency concluded that AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine might be associated with the occurrence of rare but severe cases of blood clots.