Ireland should suspend AstraZeneca vaccine, says medical officer

Irish vaccine task force recommends temporary halt after reports of blood clots among those who received the COVID jab.

Ireland’s vaccine task force has recommended temporarily suspending the rollout of the AstraZeneca coronavirus jab, following reports of blood clots in adults who received the shot. “The National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) has recommended that the administration of COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca be temporarily deferred from this morning,” Ireland’s deputy chief medical officer Ronan Glynn said in a statement on Sunday. He said the recommendation has been made “on the precautionary principle” after “a report from the Norwegian Medicines Agency of four new reports of serious blood clotting events in adults after vaccination”.