Two German cities suspend AstraZeneca vaccine for people under 60

Two cities in Germany are suspending the use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for people under the age of 60 due to rare blood clots forming in a small minority of patients.

National medical regulators are expected to comment on the decision and provide further guidance for the AstraZeneca vaccine on Tuesday after Berlin and Munich both suspended use of the vaccine, Dilek Kalayci, a Berlin health official, reportedly said.

Use of the AstraZeneca vaccine was earlier suspended in multiple countries in Europe due to the blood clots concern.

Although a European Union regulator has said the vaccine is safe and countries resumed administering it, it admitted that a link between the vaccine and blood clots could not be ruled out.

The vaccine was suspended in Munich and Berlin after it was announced that there were 31 cases of the cranial blood clots, with nine people dying from it, according to The Associated Press.

The blood clots are mostly affecting women from the ages of 20 to 63.

Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization has also recently recommended suspending the AstraZeneca vaccine for those under the age of 55 due to concerns about blood clots.

Two state-run hospitals and some university ones as well have called for the vaccine not to be administered to younger women until there is more research done.

Thousands of appointments in Germany may be affected if the pause in vaccinations is extended. There have already been 2.7 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine given out in the country.

The U.S. has not yet approved of the AstraZeneca vaccine but has tens of millions of doses waiting for use in its facilities.