Unsurprisingly enough, news that a controversial batch of Astrazeneca vaccines was also received in Cyprus have stirred fear among people who got injected with the specific jab.
But the Health Ministry on Friday reassured that all is under control and went a step forward disclosing additional information on this issue, according to Philenews.
“A small amount of vaccines from this batch was received in Cyprus, indeed, and some doses were administered through the island’s vaccination program last month,” a source said.
“Officially, the relevant committee monitoring pharmaceuticals had not been informed of any complications. However, because of reports made by Austrian authorities, the Ministry of Health had timely suspended vaccination with the specific jab until official explanation was provided by the European Medicines Agency,” added the same source.
Cyprus is one of 17 EU countries which received the controversial batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine that Austria had suspended after a person died 10 days after vaccination.
The controversial batch is numbered ABV5300 and comprises one million doses of the vaccine.
The Ministry in Nicosia already said it was keeping its consignment on hold as a precaution and waiting for final confirmation.
Austrian health authorities have suspended it after the person who died was diagnosed with multiple thrombosis and died 10 days after vaccination.
At the same time, a second person was hospitalised with pulmonary embolism, that is blockage in arteries in the lungs, after being vaccinated. The latter is now recovering.
