OSLO | Norwegian health officials expressed concern on Saturday about cases of skin bleeding in relatively young people who received a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19.
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If no link has yet been established with the vaccine, “this is serious and may be a sign of a decrease in the number of platelets”, warned the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, which had already suspended the vaccine “as a precaution. Because of concerns about blood clots.
The institute now invites people under the age of 50 who show symptoms more than three days after vaccination to see a doctor.
In addition, three health workers were recently admitted to Oslo University Hospital with blood clots after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine. One death also occurred as a result of a brain hemorrhage.
Here again, the country’s health authorities have not yet established a link with the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine, but they are investigating the case.
Norway, like Iceland or Denmark, announced Thursday the suspension of injections of AstraZeneca vaccine, invoking the principle of “precaution” because of fears related to the formation of blood clots.
“We are awaiting information to see if there is a link between the vaccination and this case of blood clots,” said a senior official of the National Institute of Public Health, Geir Bukholm, at a press conference. .
The Norwegian Medicines Agency also said on Saturday “to take a closer look at the reports of blood clots and bleeding for all coronavirus vaccines.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that there was “no reason not to use” the AstraZeneca vaccine and that no cause and effect on blood clot formation had not yet been found.