Germany has suspended the use of AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid-19 vaccine in the country.
Germany’s move comes amid a growing health scare that is creating yet another delay in the deployment of the COVID-19 vaccine in the European Union and other regions.
According to Bloomberg report, the country cited the recommendation of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, which oversees vaccine safety, according to a statement from the health ministry on Monday.
The report said that Germany joined about a dozen places, including Northern Italy, the Netherlands and Ireland, that have halted the use of the product amid reports of serious blood clotting.
“It’s yet another blow to a vaccination campaign that’s proving embarrassingly slow and politically damaging for governments across the EU,” Bloomberg said.
It said that while regulators have tried to reassure the public about the safety of the Astrazeneca shot, concerns are growing. Some Italian regions are reporting a high level of cancellations of vaccine appointments where the dose offered is the Astra one.
Authorities in Italy have also seized hundreds of thousands of Astra shots as part of their response, it said.