Denmark, Norway, Iceland suspend use of AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine over concerns of blood-clot

Austria on Monday announced that it had suspended the use of a batch of AstraZeneca vaccines after a 49-year-old nurse died of "severe blood coagulation problems" days after receiving an anti-Covid shot.

Four other European countries-Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Luxemburg -- have also suspended the use of vaccines from this batch.

As of March 9, 22 cases of blood clots had been reported among more than three million people who were administered with the vaccine in the European Economic Area, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said in a statement available to media.

However, the agency revealed that at present there is no indication that there is a link between the vaccine and the blood clots.

"There is currently no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions, which are not listed as side effects with this vaccine," the European Medicines Agency was quoted as saying by BBC on Thursday.

"The vaccine's benefits continue to outweigh its risks and the vaccine can continue to be administered while investigation of cases of thromboembolic events is ongoing," it added.

In its response, AstraZeneca said the drug's safety had been studied extensively in clinical trials.

"Regulators have clear and stringent efficacy and safety standards for the approval of any new medicine," a spokesperson was quoted as saying by BBC.

In the UK, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) reportedly said there was no evidence the vaccine had caused problems.

They encouraged people to get vaccinated and said blood clot problems are common.