There was enough concern about his death that a batch of AstraZeneca vaccine vials was withdrawn.
The European Medicines Agency announced on Wednesday that a preliminary investigation had found no link between AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine and the death of a 49-year-old Austrian nurse to whom it had been injected.
"There is, at present, no indication that the vaccination had these consequences, which are not among the listed side effects of this vaccine," said the Agency, also referring to another nurse who had to be hospitalized for pulmonary embolism after her vaccination.
Preliminary view from EMA's safety committee (#PRAC): there is no specific issue with a batch of # COVID19 Vaccine AstraZeneca that has been suspended in Austria after cases of multiple thrombosis were reported.
👉https: //t.co/292s0fSNJs pic.twitter.com/lh3BXG4e1m
- EU Medicines Agency (@EMA_News) March 10, 2021
The victim had received a dose of the incriminated batch at the regional hospital of Zwettl (Lower Austria), before dying a few days later as a result of "serious bleeding disorders".
The case of one of her colleagues did not alleviate the concerns.
Aged 35 and vaccinated with the same batch, she had developed a pulmonary embolism.
The result of the nurse's autopsy, carried out by the AKH hospital in Vienna, should only be available in the coming weeks.
A full investigation is also underway on the withdrawn lot.
The European Medicines Agency specifies, however, that a quality defect is considered unlikely at this stage.