As a precaution Austrian authorities have suspended AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, while investigating the death of one person and the illness of another after the shots.
Lower Austria province stated that “The Federal Office for Safety in Health Care (BASG) has received two reports in a temporal connection with a vaccination from the same batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the district clinic of Zwettl”
Further, the province stated that a 49-year-old woman died as a result of severe coagulation disorders, while a 35-year-old woman developed a pulmonary embolism and is recovering. Reports state that both these women were nurses at the Zwettl clinic.
“Currently there is no evidence of a causal relationship with the vaccination,” BASG said.
BASG informed that blood clotting wasn’t among the known side effects of the vaccine. However, it continues its investigation vigorously to completely rule out any possible link.
“As a precautionary measure, the remaining stocks of the affected vaccine batch are no longer being issued or vaccinated,” it added.
A spokesman from AstraZeneca said: “There have been no confirmed serious adverse events associated with the vaccine,” stating that all batches are subject to strict and rigorous quality controls.
Trials and real-world experience so far suggests the vaccine is safe and effective and it had been approved for use in well over 50 countries, he said.
