Denmark becomes 1st European country to completely halt use of AstraZeneca jab over ‘real risk of severe side effects’

AstraZeneca’s increasingly scrutinized Covid-19 vaccine has been permanently discontinued in Denmark following investigations that linked the jabs to rare blood clotting.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Danish Health Authority announced it had “decided to continue the rollout at this time without AstraZeneca,” citing “a possible link between very rare cases of unusual blood clots, bleeding, low blood platelets counts” and the jabs.

“Our overall assessment is there is a real risk of severe side effects associated with using the COVID-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca,” Danish Health Authority Director General Soeren Brostroem claimed, explaining the decision. He added that the country has other vaccines to distribute, while he considers that the epidemic is currently under control. Danish people who have already received their first AstraZeneca jab will be invited to get vaccinated with another provider.

Denmark is the first European country to completely ban AstraZeneca's vaccine – which was renamed Vaxzevria last month – after the European Medicines Agency confirmed the vaccine’s links to blood clotting, but said its benefits still outweigh the risks of side effects.

Several European countries decided to give the jab only to older people, advising those who got the first shot to be provided with the second from any mRNA vaccine.
Meanwhile, another EMA-approved vaccine, Johnson & Johnson's, is receiving similar scrutiny following cases of blood clotting, and at least one death.

Both the United States and the European Union are investigating the jab, while Australia has refused to buy any doses.

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