Health officials in Northern Ireland will continue using the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine after its suspension in the Republic of Ireland.

The National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) of the country recommended the move after reports of blood clotting events following vaccination in Norway. Irelands Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said that it was a precautionary measure. AstraZeneca has found no evidence of an association between the vaccine and increased risk of clotting.

The Netherlands became the latest country, on Sunday, to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Northern Irelands Department of Health stated that it administers vaccines under the expert direction of the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Northern Irelands Department of Health stated that the roll-out of vaccination program will continue… (BBC, March 15, 2021)