AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The Netherlands joined a fast-growing list of countries on Sunday that are suspending the use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine after reports of unexpected possible side effects from the injection.
As a precaution, the vaccine will not be used until March 29, the Dutch government said in a statement.
The announcement will lead to delays in the rollout of shots in the Netherlands, which had pre-ordered 12 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine.
Health authorities had scheduled approximately 290,000 AstraZeneca injections over the next two weeks.
The move, which follows a similar decision by Ireland earlier in the day, is based on reports from Denmark and Norway of possible serious side effects, the government said.
Three health workers in Norway who recently received the vaccine were hospitalized for bleeding, blood clots and low platelet counts, Norwegian health authorities said Saturday.
No such cases had yet been found in the Netherlands, the Dutch Ministry of Health said, adding that there was as yet no evidence of a direct link between the vaccine and the reports from Denmark and Norway.
“We can leave no doubt about the vaccine,” said Health Minister Hugo de Jonge.
“We have to make sure everything is right, so it’s wise to take a break.”
AstraZeneca said Sunday that a review of safety data from people vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine has shown no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots.
Late last week, the Dutch government said there was no reason to stop using the AstraZeneca vaccine, as the EMA said there was no evidence it could cause blood clots.
But De Jonge said his decision was informed by new reports, which would now be investigated by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
Iceland, along with Denmark, Norway and Ireland, also suspended the use of the vaccine against clotting problems, while Thailand became the first country outside of Europe to do so on Friday.
Italy’s northern region, Piemonte, said on Sunday it would stop using a batch of AstraZeneca vaccines after a teacher died following his vaccination on Saturday. Austria also stopped using a particular batch last week.
Reporting by Bart Meijer; Adaptation by Diane Craft and Lincoln Feast.