Spain probes patient death after AstraZeneca jab

Gulf Today Report

Three cases of people who suffered from thrombosis after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine, one of whom died, are under investigation, Spanish health officials said Wednesday.

The announcement by Madrid's AEMPS medicines agency came two days after the government suspended use of the vaccine for at least a fortnight as a precaution.

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The three cases happened between late Monday and early on Tuesday, according to AFP.

"It could be related to the vaccine or not," Health Minister Carolina Darias told a news conference.

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"What we know so far is that in these three cases there is a temporal link but it has not been established that there is a causal link."

Meanwhile, Spain's health minister warned on Wednesday that a seven-week decline in the national COVID-19 infection rate could have bottomed out after cases ticked higher in a handful of regions.

"We could be facing a possible change in trend," said Carolina. "So maximum caution should be exercised to avoid a fourth wave."

While she said she "understood the concerns", the minister stressed Spain has so far recorded just three cases of thrombosis out of the 975,661 people who received the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Press reports said the person who died was a 43-year-old maths teacher in the southern city of Marbella with no pre-existing health conditions.

She suffered a cerebral haemorrhage and had complained of headaches after having the jab, but doctors attributed it to the normal side effects associated with the vaccine, Diario Sur newspaper reported.

Monday's decision to suspend all AstraZeneca shots came just hours after Germany, France and Italy announced similar moves linked to fears the vaccine could generate serious side effects such as blood clots which can cause swellings, heart attacks and haemorrhages.