Bulgaria has temporarily halted vaccination with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine until the European medicine regulator issues a written statement dismissing all doubts around the vaccine’s safety.

Prime Minister Boyko Borissov stated that until all doubts are cleared and until experts do not guarantee that the vaccine does not pose a risk to the people, the inoculations with the vaccine will be on hold. Bulgaria follows Denmark, Norway and Iceland, where the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine has been temporarily paused due to reports of blood clots in some people who had received the vaccine. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) had; however, supported the use of the vaccine stating that its benefits outweighed the risks and it could continue to be administered… (Reuters, March 12, 2021)