14th November 2024
A health worker at care home in Rafelbunyol, Valencia
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Spain investigates death of a teacher who had received AstraZeneca jab

Latest: Coronavirus in Spain figures (23 Mar)

Health officials in Spain on Wednesday have been investigating three cases of people who have suffered from thrombosis after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine, one of whom has died.

The announcement from the Spanish Agency for Medicine and Health Products (AEMPScomes just two days after the government suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for ‘at least’ 15 days, following decisions taken by several other EU states to temporarily suspend its use.

The three cases being investigated occurred between late Monday and early Tuesday morning.

Spanish media have reported that the person who died was a 43-year-old teacher in Marbella with no pre-existing health conditions, and that she died of a cerebral haemorrhage. However, health authorities have not confirmed the details, citing data protection laws.

The decision taken by Spain on Monday to suspend all AstraZeneca jabs came just hours after Germany, France and Italy announced similar moves linked to fears that the vaccine could generate serious side effects such as blood clots.

A health worker at care home in Rafelbunyol, Valencia
A health worker preparing to administer Covid-19 vaccinations in December 2020. (GVA.es)

In a statement, the AEMPS said the three cases might be linked to the ‘formation of blood clots in areas of the body where they are less common’, without drawing firm conclusions.

Its investigators were ‘gathering more information and carrying out an exhaustive investigation to find out whether there was not only a causal link to the administration of the vaccine, but also a possible temporal link’.

Up until the AstraZeneca vaccine was suspended, latest figures show that 980,126 people in Spain had received a shot. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has said it is ‘firmly convinced’ that benefits of AstraZeneca’s vaccine outweigh potential risks, insisting there was no evidence linking it to blood clots.

It is, however, looking into ‘adverse events’ associated with all vaccines, and the regulator is due to publish its conclusions on Thursday.

Click here for all reports on Coronavirus in Spain and for specific reports related to Covid-19 Vaccinations.

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