Scientists in Europe say they have identified a mechanism that may enable the AstraZeneca PLC (AZN) New Crown vaccine to cause fatal blood clots in rare cases, as well as a potential treatment.
Two separate teams of medical researchers in Norway and Germany have found that the vaccine may trigger an autoimmune disease that causes blood to clot in the brain, providing an explanation for several cases that have emerged across Europe in recent weeks.
Several European countries briefly suspended vaccinations of AstraZeneca’s New Crown vaccine this week after more than 30 vaccine recipients were diagnosed with cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. The majority of those affected were women younger than 55 years old.
However, the problem affected only a small percentage of those who received the vaccine, and after an investigation, European drug regulators determined that the benefits of the vaccine outweighed the potential risks and recommended that the vaccine be reinstated.
Some countries, including Germany, France and Italy, resumed vaccination with AstraZeneca’s new crown vaccine on Friday, but added a warning that the vaccine could be linked to blood clots. French medical authorities on Friday recommended that the government only give the vaccine to people over 55, a country that has had three cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Other countries, including Norway, Sweden and Denmark, said they needed to conduct more studies before deciding whether to resume the vaccine. Norway has seen three cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, including one patient who died. The country has vaccinated about 120,000 people with AstraZeneca’s New Crown vaccine. Finland suspended use of AstraZeneca’s New Crown vaccine on Friday after two cases of what authorities called unusual blood clots in the country.
Recent Comments