After Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Romania temporarily suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 following reports of blood clots among a small number of vaccinated people, Germany's medical regulatory body has said there is no indication that the shot is linked.

No “causal connection” between AstraZeneca and blood clots

The Paul Ehrlich Institute, the regulatory body responsible for vaccines in Germany, has said that there is so far no evidence that the AstraZeneca vaccine is “causally connected” to an increased risk of blood clots or death.

The statement came after a number of countries, including Denmark, Norway and Iceland, suspended use of the vaccine following reports of a few “serious cases of blood clots among vaccinated people.” Danish authorities said one person had died after receiving the jab. 

A 50-year-old man in Italy is also reported to have died after developing deep vein thrombosis following his vaccination. However, it has not so far been conclusively clarified whether there is any connection between these cases and the AstraZeneca shot. 

Just 30 cases of blood clots out of 5 million vaccinations

While investigations are ongoing, the European Medicines Agency has stated that vaccinations should continue and that the number of reported cases of blood clots in vaccinated people was no higher than in the general population, since blood clots can occur naturally and are not uncommon. “There is currently no indication that the vaccination has caused these conditions, which are not listed as side effects with this vaccine,” a spokesperson said on Thursday. 

The Paul Ehrlich Institute echoed the same message: “In accordance with the EMA, from the perspective of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, the benefit of the vaccination outweighs the known risks,” the institute said. 

As of Thursday, the Paul Ehrlich Institute said that there have been around 11 cases of “thromboembolic events” among the 1,2 million people in Germany who have already been vaccinated. Four people have died, but there is “currently no indication that the vaccination caused these diseases.” Across Europe, there have been 30 cases of “thromboembolic events," out of five million. 

The EMA will continue to investigate the cases further, in cooperation with European pharmaceutical authorities.