Thailand follows Denmark in suspending AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, pending an investigation into possible side effects
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- Thailand has become the first Asian country to pause use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine.
- Thailand said it was waiting for the results of investigations into potential side effects.
- Denmark, Norway, and Iceland said Thursday they were suspending the vaccine over concerns about blood clots.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Thailand said Friday it had paused use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine while investigators looked into potential side effects and adverse reactions, becoming the first Asian country to make the move.
Denmark, Norway, and Iceland all said on Thursday they were suspending all use of the vaccine following several cases of blood clots among vaccinated people. Several other European countries, including Italy, have suspended a specific batch of the vaccine.
Thai Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Thailand's decision was based on foreign data, and that authorities wanted to wait for more information. His statement did not mention the blood clots or name any other countries.
It's not clear yet whether the incidents reported in European countries are linked to AstraZeneca's vaccine, Charnvirakul said. More than 30 million doses of the vaccine have been administered across the world, he added.
He said it was normal to slow down or pause the rollout of a vaccine while authorities investigate potential side effects.
There's no evidence yet that AstraZeneca's vaccine causes blood clots, and experts say any risks are outweighed by the shot's benefits.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said Wednesday it was investigating the incidents. Charnvirakul said he expected this investigation to last about two weeks. The Chinese vaccine Sinovac remains available in the meantime, he added.
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha and members of his government were due to receive AstraZeneca's vaccine Friday morning. This has now been postponed. The Financial Times reported that journalists were only told the AstraZeneca vaccine had been suspended after they arrived at the health ministry to report on the vaccinations.
European countries suspended the vaccine over concerns about blood clots
On Thursday, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland all announced they would pause use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine after reports of blood clots among vaccinated people.
Danish authorities said that one of these cases was related to a death in Denmark, and Austrian authorities said Sunday that a 49-year-old Austrian woman had died as a result of severe coagulation disorders after taking the shot.
In a statement to Insider, an AstraZeneca representative said that the safety of its vaccine had been "extensively studied" and that data showed the shot was "generally well tolerated."
The EMA said Wednesday "there is currently no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions."
It added that in the European Economic Area, 30 cases of blood clots had been reported out of close to 5 million people vaccinated.
UK experts said the proportion of vaccinated people with blood clots was no higher than in the general population.
AstraZeneca's vaccine has been granted conditional marketing authorization or emergency use in more than 50 countries, including the UK and across the European Union. It has not yet been issued emergency-use authorization in the US.
As Insider's Marianne Guenot reported early in March, AstraZeneca's vaccine has become Europe's least favorite shot. Europeans are turning down the AstraZeneca vaccine, and both AstraZeneca and EU leaders have made mistakes that sapped public confidence.
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