Coronavirus UK news update – Astra-Zeneca vaccine blood clot fears sees more EU countries suspend jabs as crisis deepens

FEARS of a link between the Oxford / Astra-Zeneca vaccine and blood clots has seen more EU countries suspend it’s rollout.

The Netherlands today became the fifth country to suspend the jab following Ireland, Denmark, Iceland and Norway.

Meanwhile other countries, including Austria and Italy, have black-listed a particular batch of the jab over concern the Astra-Zeneca jab could lead to higher incidents of potentially lethal bloodclots.

The evidence for such a reaction appears to be patchy and research in the UK suggests the vaccine has no impact on the liklihood of developing a bloodclot compared with not taking it.

The World Health Organisation also reiterated its guidance that the Oxford / Astra-Zeneca vaccine is safe and the risks of not being vaccinated against Covid-19 far outweigh the risks of getting a jab.

The suspensions add yet another layer of chaos to the EU’s bungled vaccine rollout, which ranges from a shambolic jab procurement scheme to leaders such a French president Emmanuel Macron engaging in disinformation.

The UK jab rollout is set to increase in coming days thanks to renewed supplies and a staggering 36% of the population already vaccinated – all signs of a bright summer ahead and an early end to lockdown.

But on the continent vaccine take-up is so painfully low that cases are once again spiking, with Italy today being forced back into a new national lockdown to prevent hospitals being overrun and France having to run special covid planes to evacuate patients from an overwhelmed Paris.

Meanwhile in Germany Angela Merkel’s CDU party was hammered in two state elections as the public lost faith in the country’s Covid response.

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