Germany announced on Tuesday, March 30, that it is temporarily suspending the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine among individuals under the age of 60 due to continued blood clots concerns. Exceptions can be made for certain high-risk patients, officials added, though a doctor’s approval would be needed.
Canada announced a similar move on March 29, noting the “substantial uncertainty” surrounding this ongoing situation.
Germany’s announcement comes just days after a team of researchers from the University of Greifswald in Greifswald, Germany, shared its initial assessment of these “unusual thrombotic events and thrombocytopenia.”
“According to the current state of knowledge, there is no evidence that thromboses at typical locations (leg vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism) are more common after vaccination with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine than in the age-appropriate normal population,” the group wrote.
The World Health Organization and European Medicines Agency have both repeatedly said that this does not appear to be a significant issue. The organizations also say they are still studying the situation closely.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.