Slovenia: ‘Preventive’ suspension of AstraZeneca vaccine use

THE Slovenia suspended its use today “for precautionary reasons” AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19, added to long list of countries that have taken this measure due to concerns associated with blood clots.

“I have taken this decision to suspend the use of the vaccine by the Swedish-British company AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford” in order to ensure the highest possible level of safety for our fellow citizens, “Health Minister Janez Poklukar said in an interview.

“There is no medical expertise to support this discontinuation, but it is a precautionary measure pending an opinion from the European Medicines Agency (EMA),” he said.

The EMA said it would hold an “extraordinary meeting” on Thursday, March 18, on the vaccine, adding that its benefits outweigh the risks.

Suspicious possible side effects include the formation of blood clots, with some cases involving “unusual features” such as a small platelet count, the agency said.

He explained, however, that these cases involved “a very small number of people who received the vaccine”.

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