Austria suspends batch of AstraZeneca vaccine after death
By Modupe Shodeinde
Austrian authorities have suspended the use of a batch of AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine while investigating the death of one person and illness of another after taking the shots.
Reuters reported that a health agency on Sunday stated that suspension in the use of the affected vaccine batch is a precautionary measure.
It said, “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 in Lower Austria province”
It was reported 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. A pulmonary embolism is an acute lung disease caused by a dislodged blood clot.
“Currently there is no evidence of a causal relationship with the vaccination,” BASG said.
According to a Swiss newspaper Niederoesterreichische Nachrichten as well as broadcaster ORF and the APA news agency the women were both nurses who worked at the Zwettl clinic.
BASG stated that blood clotting was not among the known side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine and it was pursuing its investigation vigorously to completely rule out any possible link.
It also added that the remaining stocks of the affected vaccine batch are no longer being issued or vaccinated.
Reuters reported that AstraZeneca had no immediate comment when contacted.
The APA news agency quoted AstraZeneca as saying the company was in contact with Austrian authorities and would fully support the investigation.
It noted the vaccine had been approved by the European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization based on a global clinical program involving 23,000 participants.
“All of these evaluations have concluded that the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective,” APA quoted the company as saying.
The vaccine was approved by the European Union regulators on Jan. 30, stating that it was effective and safe to use. Adverse reactions seen in trials were short-lived for the most part and blood clotting issues were not reported.
It should be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari received the AstraZeneca vaccine yesterday, a day after the Federal Government launched the vaccination exercise in the country.
The President took the jab on Saturday at the new Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
The vaccine was administered to the President by his chief personal physician in the presence of the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and some members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
Shortly after President Buhari took the jab, Professor Osinbajo also received the vaccine which was also administered to him by his chief personal physician.
Both leaders were later presented with electronic cards containing the details of their vaccinations by the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib.
