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 (AEMPS) comes 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.
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’.
