Netherlands temporarily suspends AstraZeneca vaccine for people under 60

by Celine Castronuovo - 04/02/21 4:37 PM ET

The Netherlands on Friday became the latest country to announce limits on the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine amid safety concerns, with the nation’s health department suspending the inoculation for all people under the age of 60.

According to Reuters, the Netherlands Health Ministry said the decision was made based on new reports from medicine monitoring agency Lareb and guidance from health authorities.

The announcement also came after a woman in the Netherlands between the ages of 25 and 65 died after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine, Reuters reported.

The Dutch ANP news agency said that roughly 10,000 vaccine appointments will be canceled as a result of the Friday decision.

AstraZeneca said in a statement that it was in talks with Dutch authorities over their decision, adding, “Authorities in the UK, European Union, the World Health Organization have concluded that the benefits of using our vaccine to protect people from this deadly virus significantly outweigh the risks across all adult age groups.”

Several countries temporarily suspended use of the AstraZeneca inoculation last month following reports of blood clots among some individuals who had received the vaccine.

However, nations have begun to resume use after both the European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization have released statements promoting the safety of the vaccine, explaining that the benefits outweigh the potential risks.

While countries have resumed distribution, others like the Netherlands have imposed age restrictions to limit the cases of potential side effects.

On Tuesday, Germany health officials announced their suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine for those under 60, and a German vaccine commission, STIKO, advised Thursday that those under the age of 60 who had already received one dose of of the AstraZeneca inoculation should not get a second one until “the appropriate data is available.”

The decision by Germany followed a recommendation Monday from Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization against using the AstraZeneca shot for adults under 55.