The Health Ministry in Spain started an investigation on Wednesday after a woman died due to a brain hemorrhage after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine, The Independent reported.
Woman dies after receiving AstraZeneca vaccine
The 43-year-old woman was a teacher in Marbella, on the Costa del Sol. She had received the AstraZeneca vaccine on March 3rd but after some time, she felt unwell and went to the emergency department at the Quirón hospital. She had headache and general malaise symptoms that doctors linked to the common side effects of the vaccine. The Spanish health ministry has sent the case to the European Medicines Agency.
According to a statement from the Spanish Medicines and Health Products Agency (AEMPS),
“The evaluation of these types of signs might find an alternative cause other than vaccine administration, or if it can be attributed to the vaccine, it can come up with measures to try to minimize the risk, such as identifying the factors that predispose people to develop this type of thrombosis and limiting the vaccine’s use when this factor is present.”
The deceased woman who was the mother of two kids, reportedly, had no previous record of medical issues. Moreover, an autopsy will identify the actual cause of her death.
Three cases of thrombosis (blood clotting) in people who got the AstraZeneca vaccine have occurred in Spain. This included the deceased teacher from Marbella in southern Spain.
Along with an increase in the number of European countries, Spain announced on Monday to suspend using AstraZeneca vaccine for two weeks after reports of cases of thrombosis. European countries including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden have stopped the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
First reported case of cerebral venous thrombosis
According to María Jesus Lamas, the director of the Spanish Medicines Agency, the woman’s case was the first reported case of cerebral venous thrombosis in a vaccinated person.
“There are few cases, 11 at the moment around the world. And 17 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses have been administered,” Ms. Lamas emphasized at a press conference.
The European Medicines Agency has started probing to figure out if these cases are linked to the vaccine. The agency will gather on Thursday to perform a scientific analysis of the recent side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
However, The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that countries must continue the AstraZeneca vaccination.
