Denmark has announced a 14-day suspension of vaccinations with the Covid-19 vaccine developed by pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca following reports of severe cases of blood clots in people who received it.
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Health Minister Magnus Heunicke stressed that the suspension was "precautionary."
A death has been reported in Denmark - although it was not certain there was a link between the British-Swedish company's vaccine and the formation of blood clots, the Danish Health Authority said.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has launched an investigation into the vaccine, as has the Danish Medicines Agency.
The EMA on Wednesday said five countries have halted the use of a batch 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 EMA statement said.
"We are in the middle of the largest and most important vaccination rollout in Danish history, and we need all the vaccines we can get. Therefore, putting one of the vaccines on hold is not an easy decision," said Soren Brostrom, head of the Danish Health Authority.
The suspension could cause a four-week delay in the Danish vaccination program, one projection suggested.
Denmark also uses two other vaccines: one developed by US-German venture Pfizer/BioNTech and one developed by US firm Moderna.
About 9 per cent of Denmark's adult population have so far been vaccinated with one vaccine dose. A quarter of them have received the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Denmark, a country of 5.8 million people, has so far recorded almost 218,000 coronavirus cases and 2382 Covid-19 related deaths.
Australian Associated Press