Coronavirus: EU flags another rare blood condition as side effect of AstraZeneca vaccine

The European Medicines Agency’s safety committee said that capillary leak syndrome must be added as a new side effect to labelling on the shot

It said people who had previously sustained the condition should not receive the vaccine

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The EMA said people who had previously sustained capillary leak syndrome should not receive AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:01pm, 11 Jun 2021

Europe’s drug regulator on Friday identified another rare blood condition as a potential side effect of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine and said it was looking into cases of heart inflammation after inoculation with all coronavirus shots.

The European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) safety committee said that capillary leak syndrome must be added as a new side effect to labelling on AstraZeneca’s vaccine, known as Vaxzevria.

People who had previously sustained the condition, where fluids leak from the smallest blood vessels causing swelling and a drop in blood pressure, should not receive the shot, the EMA added.

The regulator first began looking into these cases in April and the recommendation adds to AstraZeneca’s woes after its vaccine was associated with very rare and potentially lethal cases of blood clotting that come with a low platelet count.

Last month, the EMA had advised against using the second AstraZeneca shot for people with that clotting condition, known as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS).

The committee reviewed six validated cases of capillary leak syndrome in people, mostly women, who had received Vaxzevria, including one death. Three had a history of the condition.