AstraZeneca has defended its coronavirus vaccine as more and more European countries suspend its use over evidence-free concerns that it may be linked so some recent deaths from blood clots. Over the weekend, Ireland and the Netherlands became the latest countries to pause the shot’s use as a precautionary measure while public-health authorities investigate. In a statement late Sunday, AstraZeneca said that a review of safety data from millions of people who have taken the shot across Europe has revealed “no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), or thrombocytopenia.” It added that, of the 17 million people so far inoculated with its vaccine, there have only been 15 cases of deep vein thrombosis and 22 pulmonary embolisms, which is “much lower than would be expected to occur naturally in a general population of this size and is similar across other licensed COVID-19 vaccines.” At least 12 countries have halted the shot’s use.
