Fatal Emergency Precipitated Urgent Suspension of AstraZeneca Vaccine in Bulgaria

The urgent suspension of immunizations with AstraZeneca vaccine in Bulgaria stems from an emergency case.  

"The decision to stop vaccination with Astra Zeneca results from a fatality in a woman 57 years old with many comorbidities. We await the conclusion of the forensics. There is definitely no thrombus formation diagnosed.

Health Minister Prof. Kostadin Angelov, said that in Plovdiv at the entrance of St. George University Hospital after being ordered today by the Prime Minister to suspend vaccination with this vaccine until there is an official opinion from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on the safety of the vaccine.

“Putting on hold vaccination with AstraZeneca is a preventive measure. We will wait for the conclusion of EMA's medicines committee,” the health minister said.

The Minister and medics from the hospital pointed out that a direct causal link for vaccination – a fatal end at the moment cannot be accepted unconditionally. The working diagnosis of the patient is acute cardiovascular insufficiency.

During the briefing, it transpired that the deceased woman had been inoculated at the medical center in the town of Stamboliyski. Vaccination was carried out yesterday afternoon (Thursday, March 11,) after examination by a cardiologist who gave a positive opinion on the vaccination.

Health Minister Angelov said they had no concerns about people who were vaccinated with AstraZeneca previously.

Let those who have already been vaccinated be calm, he urged. Those already listed for vaccination in the electronic system will be re-registered.

As long as there is a problem with AstraZeneca, the work of the electronic register for fixing appointment hour stops, the minister said.

The minister assured that vaccination proceeds with Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech. Pfizer vaccine however, is put aside for members of the electoral administration, and the minister stressed that where there is a waiver from members of CEC, the available vials will be allocated for mass vaccination.

Side effects occur in about three patients in a thousand, Angelov said.

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