Denmark is suspending the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for two weeks as it investigates reports of some patients developing blood clots after being inoculated, days after several other EU countries suspended the use of a specific batch of the vaccine.
This was reported by CNN.
Doctors have recorded a serious side in the form of fatal blood clots. There was also one fatal case in the country.
Danish Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said Thursday authorities were looking into "signs of a possible serious side effect in the form of fatal blood clots," though he made clear it was a "precautionary measure," saying it was not possible yet to conclude whether the clots were linked to the vaccine.
"We act early, it needs to be thoroughly investigated," he said in a tweet.
The Danish Health Authority also confirmed the suspension in a statement, saying its investigation would include looking into one death in Denmark.
"We are in the middle of the largest and most important vaccination rollout in Danish history. And right now we need all the vaccines we can get. Therefore, putting one of the vaccines on pause is not an easy decision. But precisely because we vaccinate so many, we also need to respond with timely care when there is knowledge of possible serious side effects. We need to clarify this before we can continue to use the vaccine from AstraZeneca," Søren Brostrøm, director of the National Board of Health, said in the statement.
The National Health Council also states that there is "good evidence that the vaccine is safe and effective".
"But both we and the Danish Medicines Agency have to react to reports of possible serious side effects, both from Denmark and other European countries. It shows that the monitoring system works," Brostrøm stated.
People who have been vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine over the past two weeks and who have the symptoms for more than three days after the jab are recommended to see a doctor.
The Danish Medicines Agency said it was working with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the other EU pharmaceutical authorities to investigate several reports of blood clotting.
Earlier this week, Austria suspended the use of one specific batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine -- batch ABV5300 -- after "a person was diagnosed with multiple thromboses," according to EMA.
As of Tuesday, Estonia, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Latvia had also suspended the use of batch ABV5300.