Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine: Denmark end rollout amid blood clot fears

The cease in rollout is expected to delay the country’s vaccination programme by several weeks.

Denmark was the first of several European countries have previously suspended use of the jab over blood clot fears, although most have resumed AstraZeneca vaccinations.

Last week, Boris Johnson sought to reassure the public that the vaccine was safe after regulators recommended that people aged 18 to 29 should be offered an alternative jab.

The Prime Minister told reporters: “These vaccines are safe, they’ve saved many thousands of lives and people should come forward to get their jabs and we’ll make sure that they get the right jabs.”

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said the benefits still outweigh the risks overall but while it has not concluded that the vaccine causes rare brain clots, it said the link is getting firmer.

MHRA’s chief executive Dr June Raine told a press conference that there was a “reasonably plausible” link between the AstraZeneca jab and rare blood clots, but stressed these were “extremely rare”.

She said: “Based on the current evidence, the benefits of the Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca against Covid-19 and its associated risks – hospitalisation and death – continues to outweigh the risks for the vast majority of people.

“Our review has reinforced that the risk of this rare suspected side effect remains extremely small.”

Figures in Denmark show that nearly one million people have now been vaccinated with 150,00 of those having received the AstraZeneca jab.

Now, Danish officials have confirmed that all 2.4 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab will be withdrawn until further notice.

A statement said: "The Danish Health Authority has decided to continue the vaccination against Covid-19 without the vaccine from AstraZeneca."

Health officials did not rule out using the vaccine at a later date.

The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines remain in use.