AstraZeneca vaccine suspected of causing brain clot death in Helsinki

The coronavirus vaccine developed by the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company Astrazeneca could be the cause of three serious cerebral venous thromboses that occurred in the Helsinki-Uusimaa hospital district (HUS).

According to Finnish newspaper Ilta Sanomat, one of the patients died from complications derived from thrombosis.

The newspaper quotes Markus Mäkijärvi, HUS's medical director, as a source. Mäkijärvi confirms the death of a patient.

However - as is always the case with any controversial issue in Finland - the authorities hide behind data protection regulations so as not to report any details. At this stage, nothing has been officially said about the age or sex of the deceased, or the days that elapsed between the vaccination and the appearance of the brain problem.

"Unfortunately, due to data protection, we cannot say more," Mäkijärvi told the newspaper.

The AstraZeneca vaccine has been associated in recent months with a rare type of brain blood clot that appeared in some patients who have received the jab. Dozens of cases have been reported in the UK and also in Germany.

Women of working age mainly

Most of the cases have been detected in women under 55 years of age, which has led the authorities in several European countries to restrict the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine to the elderly. However, authorities insist that the risk is very low.

In Finland, the AztraZeneca jab is used to vaccinate people over 65 years. Newspaper Helsingin Sanomat has reported that the vaccine has been rejected by some people in large cities.

The Finnish National Advisory Committee on Vaccines (KRAR) will meet on Tuesday to discuss the situation.

After the meeting, the group is expected to issue a recommendation to the National Institute of Health and Welfare (THL) on the use of Astrazeneca.