Norway Temporarily Halted the Use of AstraZeneca

Misbar has discovered that three health workers in Norway who had recently received the AstraZeneca vaccine were being treated in the hospital for bleeding, blood clots, and a low count of blood platelets, according to Reuters.com. In response, several other European countries, including Denmark, Iceland, and Bulgaria, have halted the vaccine's use at least temporarily.

According to Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borissov in Marketwatch: “Until all doubts are dispelled, and experts guarantee that it holds no risk for people, we are stopping immunization using that vaccine.” He said that the suspension would last until the European Medicines Agency issues a written statement that it is safe.

Norway had already decided it will not offer the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 to anyone over the age of 65 because few participants were above 65 in the clinical trials. 

According to CNN.com, the Norwegian Medicines Agency on Saturday said there were four new cases of severe blood clotting in adults after taking the AstraZeneca vaccine. The European Union's medicines regulator, the EMA, is currently investigating whether the shot could be linked to several blood clots reports. "There is currently no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions, which are not listed as side effects with this vaccine," the EMA said in a statement on March 11th. 

The AstraZeneca vaccine, made in conjunction with the University of Oxford, is not authorized in the United States, according to NPR.com.