Last checked at 
(Adds detail)
OSLO, March 17 (Reuters) - It is still too early to say if
there is a link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and
three cases of bleeding, blood clots and low levels of platelets
reported in Norway, the country's health authorities said on
Wednesday.
Norway halted the roll-out of AstraZeneca's vaccine last
week, following a similar move by Denmark, amid reports of
"unusual symptoms" that required hospitalisation for three
health workers who had received the shot. One has since died.
"Based on the information we have now, we do not know
whether there is a link between the serious reported conditions
and the AstraZeneca vaccine," Camilla Stoltenberg, the head of
the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI), told a news
conference.
FHI was analysing the number of such cases in the vaccinated
and unvaccinated populations to make comparisons.
Authorities are also awaiting initial findings from the
European Medicines Agency (EMA), expected on Thursday, before
deciding whether to resume AstraZeneca inoculations.
The EMA said this week it sees no reason to change its
recommendation of AstraZeneca - one of four vaccines that it has
approved.
The World Health Organization said on Wednesday it considers
that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine outweigh its risks
and recommends that vaccinations continue.
Irrespective of the results of the Norwegian and European
probes into possible side effects, FHI is now considering
whether to continue using AstraZeneca in its national programme
because of delivery delays, Stoltenberg said.
In addition, "the priority is to have a clear and organised
process to assess possible side effects so that the population
and health workers know what it is known and what is being
assessed," she said. "We must keep trust in vaccines."
Oslo has been using the Pfizer/BioNTech
and Moderna vaccines alongside AstraZeneca's, until the
latter's roll-out was suspended.
As of March 16, the nation of 5.4 million had vaccinated
more than 451,000 people with a first dose, and nearly 258,000
had received a second dose, according to FHI data.
(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche, editing by Victoria Klesty and
Giles Elgood)
