AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine syringes (COVID-19) are prepared in Fasano, Italy, April 13, 2021. REUTERS / Alessandro Garofalo
Four people have died in Italy from rare blood clots after receiving the AstraZeneca (AZN.L) COVID-19 vaccine, a report by the national pharmaceutical agency AIFA said on Thursday.
The AIFA report showed that various side effects were observed after 0.5% of the 9.07 million doses administered between December 27 and March 26, with all three vaccines used so far, by Pfizer manufacturers (PFE .N), AstraZeneca and Moderna (MRNA). O), reported that it triggered unwanted reactions.
Severe side effects were recorded in 0.04% of cases.
Mild side effects have been reported after using all three vaccines, the AIFA report says, adding most flu-like symptoms, pain at the injection site and fatigue.
Like many European countries, Italy briefly stopped AstraZeneca vaccines last month, when concerns about blood clots arose. Since then, it has resumed them for those over 60, after EU regulators said the benefits outweigh the risks.
AIFA said there were 11 cases in Italy of people who developed one of two types of blood clots after their AstraZeneca stroke – cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) and thrombosis involving multiple blood vessels
Four of the 11 died, it is said.
AstraZeneca said it was working to understand individual cases and “possible mechanisms that could explain these extremely rare events”.
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