‘No indication’ Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine linked to blood clots: EU medicines regulator

The European Union's medicines regulator has dismissed reports of blood clots in people who had received the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, saying that there is no indication that the vaccine is linked to an increased risk of blood clots, BBC reported.

It also said the number of such cases among vaccinated people was no higher than in the general population.

The statement came after several countries, including Denmark and Norway, suspended the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, following reports that a small number of people had developed clots after receiving the jabs, the BBC report reads.

A 50-year-old man had died in Italy after reportedly developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) following a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

"There is currently no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions, which are not listed as side effects with this vaccine," the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Thursday.

"The vaccine's benefits continue to outweigh its risks and the vaccine can continue to be administered while investigation of cases of thromboembolic events is ongoing," it added.

The regulator said there had been 30 cases of "thromboembolic events" among the five million people who have received the vaccine in Europe.

In the UK, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has also said there was no evidence that the vaccine caused problems, and called upon people to get vaccinated when asked to do so, the BBC report says.

"Blood clots can occur naturally and are not uncommon. More than 11 million doses of the Covid-19 AstraZeneca vaccine have now been administered across the UK," said Phil Bryan of the MHRA.

AstraZeneca said the vaccine's safety had been studied extensively in clinical trials, according to the BBC report.

"Regulators have clear and stringent efficacy and safety standards for the approval of any new medicine," a spokesperson said.