Germany, France and Italy temporarily stopped vaccination against AstraZeneca (AZ) as a precaution on the 15th local time.
This is the next step after the Netherlands, Austria, Ireland, Iceland, and Bulgaria, led by Denmark and Norway, withholding the inoculation of some or all of the AZ vaccines.
These countries plan to await further investigation results and decisions from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which is expected to be released on the 18th following case reports of brain blood clots after AZ vaccine vaccination.
In response, criticism has also been raised that stopping AZ vaccine vaccination is a mistake, and that uninterrupted vaccination of AZ vaccine amid the third spread of Corona 19 is a way to save lives.
Germany announced that it had decided to temporarily suspend AZ vaccine vaccination to be cautious on the day.
German Health Minister Jens Sfan said at a press conference on the day that "according to the recommendation of the Paul Errich Institute (PEI) in charge of vaccine approval, we have decided to temporarily stop vaccination for both the 1st and 2nd doses of the AZ vaccine."
PEI is in the position that further investigation is needed as additional cases of cerebral thrombosis occurred at a staggered time in connection with AZ vaccine vaccination in Germany and Europe.
"In order to maintain confidence in the AZ vaccine, experts in Germany and the EU need to investigate more closely," he stressed. "As a result, side effects should not exceed the effectiveness of vaccination."
The Ministry of Health predicts that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will decide whether and how additional reported cases will affect the recommendations for approval to market the AZ vaccine.
"We are temporarily halting vaccinations for investigation," said Spane. "We look forward to the EMA's decision within this week."
Regarding those who have already received the AZ vaccine, Minister Spane said, "If you are not feeling well for more than four days after vaccination, you should seek medical treatment immediately." 7 cases".
To date, 1.6 million doses of vaccination have been administered in Germany.
France has also decided to temporarily stop using the AZ vaccine as a precautionary measure.
President Emmanuel Macron said at a press conference held shortly after the German announcement that AZ vaccine vaccination will be temporarily suspended until an EMA decision is reached.
President Macron said he hopes the results of the EMA's evaluation of AstraZeneca's safety will come out favorable so that the vaccination can be resumed quickly.
In January, President Macron, who was criticized for claiming that the AZ vaccine was not effective for people over 65 years of age without any grounds, pledged to get the AZ vaccine later.
Thalia also decided to suspend AstraZeneca vaccination.
The Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) announced on the same day that it would ban the use of the AZ vaccine nationwide for a while as a precautionary measure.
This is due to a series of cases of sudden death after vaccination.
Earlier in Sicily, a 43-year-old naval agent and a 50-year-old police officer died after vaccinating the serial number'ABV2856', and in Piedmont, a 58-year-old teacher died a day after getting the serial number'ABV5811' vaccine.
Both manufacturing unit vaccines have been preemptively discontinued.
Meanwhile, the Spanish government is also planning to halt AstraZeneca vaccination for at least 15 days, Reuters reported by Cadena Ser Radio, citing anonymous sources.
Judging from the currently available data, the temporary suspension of the AZ vaccine is a mistake, and criticism has also been raised that the uninterrupted vaccination of the AZ vaccine amid the third spread of Corona 19 is a way to save lives.
German Social Democratic Party (SPD) health expert Karl Lauterbach said on Twitter right after the announcement of the suspension of the AZ vaccine by the German government. "Based on the data so far, this is a mistake." "It would have been better given the rare frequency of complications."
He said, "Amid the rapid spread of 3rd Corona 19, the first dose of AZ vaccine can save lives."
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also launched an AZ vaccine.
At a press conference on the 15th, Prime Minister Johnson said that the AZ vaccine is very safe and showed confidence that it is okay to continue the vaccination, the BBC broadcast said.
"The UK's Drug and Health Care Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA), the most demanding and experienced in the world, has determined that there is no reason to stop getting the AstraZeneca vaccine," he stressed.
"We continue to be confident in this program, and it's a great thing to get vaccinated at such a rapid pace across the UK," he added.
Earlier, MHRA suggested that AstraZeneca vaccine could continue to be vaccinated, saying there was no evidence that it caused blood clots.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and EMA argue that there is no reason to stop using the AZ vaccine, saying there is no causal relationship between vaccine and clot formation.
EMA plans to hold a special meeting on the 18th and decide what to do with the AZ vaccine in the future.
AZ also said in a statement released the day before that a safety review of 17 million people vaccinated against Corona 19 in the EU and the UK showed no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots.