Finland extends probe of AstraZeneca jab but to resume use for those aged 65 and over

Reuters
·1 min read
Palestinians get vaccinated against COVID-19 in Jenin

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland will resume using the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 from Monday, but will only give it to people aged 65 and over, the country's Institute of Health and Welfare said on Wednesday.

Several European countries stopped administering the shot after reports of a small number of blood disorders, but most have begun using it again after regulators said the benefits outweighed any risks.

"We have not detected people that have turned 65 to have an increased risk of blood clotting so we can resume vaccinating them," Taneli Puumalainen, chief physician at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare said in a press release on Wednesday.

The institute is still looking into two cases of blood clots in Finland and said it needed more time to complete its investigation, which will be finished on April 6 the earliest.

(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche, editing by Essi Lehto and Toby Chopra)