Lithuania suspends use of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

VILNIUS - Lithuania has temporarily halted the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, the country's Ministry of Health said on Tuesday.

The decision has been made following a recommendation from the State Medicines Control Agency, said Health Minister Arunas Dulkys at a news conference.

He described it as "a precaution pending the final conclusions of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on the safety of the vaccine".

He also said that both EMA and the World Health Organization say that there is no evidence that the vaccine could cause blood clots.

Before making the decision, the State Medicines Control Agency had received three reports "about serious, unexpected, unwanted thromboembolic cases in patients who were given the AstraZeneca vaccine in Lithuania", Gytis Andrulionis, head of the agency, told reporters.

However, he said it has no proof "whether this is a coincidence or due to the vaccine".

Up to now, Lithuania has only suspended the use of the ABV5300 batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine.