MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th May, 2021) The Norwegian authorities on Wednesday officially removed the UK-Swedish AstraZeneca vaccine from the country's COVID-19 immunization program, The Local newspaper reported, citing the prime minister.
An expert group on Monday recommended that the government stop administering AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
According to the media outlet, the use of the J&J vaccine in Norway is still suspended, but citizens have the option of getting vaccinated on a voluntary basis.
"The government has considered whether people can take the vaccines voluntarily. The government concluded that only the Johnson & Johnson vaccine would be offered voluntarily," Prime Minister Erna Solberg told reporters, as quoted by The Local.
The decision was made due to the adenovirus-based vaccines' "rare but serious" side effects, the media outlet added.
Norway put the AstraZeneca rollout on hold in March over multiple cases of post-inoculation blood clotting. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health recommended in April that it be ditched from the program entirely but the government delayed its decision until the committee assessed the risks.
