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A doctor prepares a vaccination with the now stopped vaccine from AstraZeneca
Photo: LUCA ZENNARO / EPA
Several European countries have suspended AstraZeneca vaccine following cases of cerebral vein thrombosis following vaccinations.
Now the World Health Organization (WHO) wants to deal with the case in a hurry.
Vaccination experts will be advised on the vaccine from AstraZeneca on Tuesday.
The advisory panel has checked the data on the safety of the vaccine and is »in close contact with the European Medicines Agency (Ema), said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
He added, "We will meet tomorrow".
According to French President Emmanuel Macron, Ema also wants to present a new report on the active ingredient on Tuesday.
Most recently, France, Germany and Italy had paused their vaccinations with AstraZeneca, previously the Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark, Norway and Iceland.
Austria stopped the use of certain batches.
Post-vaccination complications
The reason for the stops are reports of complications after the vaccinations, specifically the formation of blood clots.
So far, around 30 cases of coagulation disorders after an AstraZeneca vaccination have been reported to the Ema - among almost five million people who have been vaccinated so far.
Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU) called the vaccination ban a "pure precautionary measure".
The decision is not a political one, but "purely technical" - it follows a current recommendation from the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI).
Criticism of the hasty vaccination stop
There was criticism from the opposition about the sudden vaccination freeze.
SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach considers an examination without suspension of the vaccination due to "the rarity of the complication" to be better.
"In the third wave, which is now picking up speed, the first vaccinations with the AstraZeneca vaccine would be lifesavers."
The SPD European politician Katarina Barley also expressed herself irritated.
“The latest generation of birth control pills has thrombosis as a side effect in eight to twelve out of 10,000 women.
Has anyone bothered you so far? ”She asked on Twitter.
Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) had previously spoken of seven reported cases of thrombosis in cerebral veins out of a total of more than 1.6 million vaccinations with AstraZeneca in Germany.
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mrc / AFP / Reuters