The European Medicines Agency will be addressing concerns that the AstraZeneca vaccine might cause blood clots later this week after a top official claimed that there was a clear link between the two.

“It is clear there is a link with the vaccine. But we still do not know what causes this reaction,” Marco Cavaleri, head of vaccines at the EMA, said in an interview. 

“In the next few hours, we will say that there is a connection, but we still have to understand how this happens,” he said.

The AstraZeneca vaccine has proven to be problematic after several countries, including France, Germany and Italy, halted its distribution over fears that it may lead to blood clots and thrombosis. 

The EMA later concluded that the benefits of the vaccine far outweigh the risks and should be used. Unlike other European countries, Malta never stopped distributing the AstraZeneca vaccine. 

Meanwhile, the EMA has been reviewing the link between the vaccine and blood clots, stating that it has “not yet reached a conclusion and the review is currently ongoing”.

“We will communicate and hold a press briefing as soon as the review is finalised,” it said in a statement. “This is currently expected tomorrow (Wednesday) or on Thursday.”

Malta has procured a million doses of AstraZeneca through a joint EU initiative. A well-informed source has told Lovin Malta that health authorities will act according to the findings of the EMA review.

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