**TL;DR: Suspension of AstraZeneca, however temporary, has insufficient scientific justification and encourages vaccine hesitancy.** [Several European countries](https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/15/europe/italy-lockdown-europe-coronavirus-monday-scli-intl/index.html) have suspended the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccines due to fear of blood clots. While substantiated reports of blood clots have surfaced among people administered with this vaccine, such circumstantial evidence does not qualify as scientific evidence. Blood clots occur randomly for people, with or without vaccinations. Hence, absent the evidence of a statistically significant increase of such cases, one cannot conclude any meaningful correlation or causation between the two factors. Many medical authorities and officials have echoed such a sentiment. [Emer Cooke](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/16/world/europe/covid-astrazeneca-eu-vaccine.html), the executive director of the European Medicines Associations, continued to advocate for the vaccines. [The WHO](https://www.who.int/news/item/17-03-2021-who-statement-on-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine-safety-signals) considered it riskier to suspend the vaccines than to continue the administration. In the UK, [many medical professionals](https://www.businessinsider.com/uk-politicians-defend-astrazeneca-coronavirus-vaccine-blood-clot-reports-2021-3) seem perplexed by the decisions of many European countries. The country has seen the most widespread use of the AstraZeneca vaccines. Such a move, temporary or not, will lead to substantial consequences. Europe has [one of the highest levels of vaccine hesitancy](https://institutdelors.eu/en/publications/europeans-facing-vaccine-hesitancy/) among its population. This temporary suspension risks inviting more resistance to AstraZeneca or Covid-19 vaccines in general among many people. Vaccine hesitancy does not represent the last of Europe’s trouble. The continent and the EU block have suffered from a [slow rollout](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/26/world/europe/EU-vaccine-hunt.html) of vaccines and are currently going through [a third wave of infections](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/17/europe-at-the-start-of-a-third-wave-of-covid-experts-warn). Therefore, the suspension of AstraZeneca with little evidence at this pivotal moment seems reckless and shocking. More likely than not, the AstraZeneca vaccine does not have significant side effects and will play a significant role in ending the Covid-19 Pandemic. However, that forecast has no significance in judging the current decisions of suspension. Scientific and medical decisions must depend on concrete and existing evidence, not empty and casual speculations of the future. When evaluating the current information available, the decision to temporarily suspend the AstraZeneca vaccines seems harmful and confusing.

**TL;DR: The European governments are listening to medical bodies, adapting to what is best for people as new medical data unfolds** While I understand that this potentially temporary suspension may discourage people from getting vaccinated, I think this situation is difficult because science evolves constantly as more data and evidence is gathered. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, following 4 younger adults admitted showing blood clots, and other reports, released this [appeal](https://www.fhi.no/en/news/2021/norwegian-medicines-agency-notified-of-blood-clots-and-bleeding-in-younger-/): "People who have received the AstraZeneca vaccine and feel increasingly unwell more than three days after vaccination, and who notice larger or smaller blue spots in the skin (skin haemorrhages) must consult a doctor or out-of-hours medical service as soon as possible. ". The issue is that while there is no current evidence that this vaccine is directly linked to these clots, the people and government who give the go-ahead on mass vaccination programmes are gambling with other people's lives, and I think they are right to be cautious. Until the European Medicines Agency has given the green flag and conducted a thorough investigation into the occurrence of these clots, I think that it is understandable to suspend such a new vaccine, especially in lieu of the fact that younger adults are less at risk from the complications of a COVID-19 infection compared to the older population. While COVID-19 increases the likelihood of blood clots itself, I think it is a weigh-up for people to decide, and important that the governments promoting vaccination show that they are listening to the advice from medical bodies.

**TL;DR - The AstraZeneca vaccine should be suspended until it is fully proven that it's not related to blood clot incidents**. Covid-19 vaccines are new and people are still trying to wrap their heads around the idea of trusting something so speedily manufactured that could potentially have long-term side-effects. A large number of vaccinations around the world is going really well and more and more people get vaccinated every day in the UK and elsewhere. However, a lot of people who received the AstraZeneca jab have been reported developing blood clots. According to a France 4 article, many countries in the EU followed Norwegian authorities' who 'reported that four people under the age of 50 who had received the AstraZeneca vaccine had an unusually low number of blood platelets, which could lead to severe bleeding' ( [France 24](https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20210315-why-countries-are-suspending-the-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine-now) ). Since there were some death cases, it is a good thing that European countries are suspending this vaccine until it is proven otherwise. When it comes to human lives, it is definitely not a matter of ignoring side effects that can potentially affect a lot of people. Alice Park states that 'The World Health Organization (WHO) says the benefits outweigh any potential risks', ( [Time](https://time.com/5947134/astrazeneca-covid-vaccine-stopped/) ), but I believe that people should run multiple tests before more light is shed to these very serious and important side effects.

I understand that European governments will want to act cautiously whilst administrating this vaccine. However, what bothers me about the situation is that the contraceptive pill given to women has a [higher chance of blood clots,](https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/pill-blood-clots-vaccine-covid-astrazeneca-b1818613.html) yet no one is talking about banning that. According to the app Clue, blood clots arise from the pill in four to sixteen users out of 10,000 each year. In comparison, the vaccine has vaccinated 10 million people so far, and there have only been 30 cases of clotting following the vaccine. This is a really low number. Especially, considering that the National Blood Clot Alliance estimates that 1 in 1,000 people will experience deep vain thrombosis per year. So, it could be argued that those blood clots would have happened, it was just coincidental that they occurred following the vaccine. Many European countries have now continued administrating the vaccine, including Germany, France, Italy, Spain. So, I think the vaccine is safe. However, what I find shocking is the medical gender bias within the media. If people are so concerned about blood clots, why is the risks of the contraceptive pill not discussed widely in the media?