Bulgaria on Friday suspended the use of AstraZeneca ’s Covid-19 vaccine as it investigated the death of a woman with several underlying conditions who received the jab this week .
The temporary suspension follows other countries in Europe , including Denmark , Iceland and Norway, which paused AstraZeneca vaccinations over safety concerns .
“ I order a halt in vaccinations with the AstraZeneca vaccine until the European Medicines Agency dismisses all doubts about its safety , ” said a government press service statement quoting Prime Minister Boyko Borisov .
The prime minister requested “ a written statement with an accurate and clearly confirmed diagnosis — can we or can we not administer it ” , the statement added.
Health Minister Kostadin Angelov said the halt was in response to the death of a woman in the central city of Plovdiv .
Angelov said the 57 -year – old woman passed away at 3 : 00 am Friday after receiving the jab around noon on Thursday .
The woman , who had multiple underlying conditions — including coronary disease and a bypass surgery — was reportedly feeling well after the vaccination itself but suffered from “ acute suffocation” .
Though an initial probe suggested that she died from heart failure and an autopsy found no link with the vaccination , the AstraZeneca inoculation would be suspended at least until the final results of the autopsy next week , Angelov said.
The EMA said Thursday that countries can keep using AstraZeneca ’ s vaccine while it probes cases of blood clots that prompted suspension of particular batches of the vaccine or all of the company ’s jabs in several countries .
Bulgaria falls last among EU countries in terms of its vaccination rate with only 270, 000 people , or 3 . 9 percent, of the population receiving at least one dose so far.
The country has ordered far more AstraZeneca vaccines than Pfizer /BioNtech and Moderna doses .
It was mainly using the AstraZeneca vaccine in recent weeks after deciding to scrap prioritisation lists and offer jabs to anyone willing to take them.
(AFP)
