Detection of the cause of blood clots in some people vaccinated with AstraZeneca means that a prescribed medication can be developed.
Researchers at the Greifswald teaching hospital in northern Germany said Friday they had discovered the cause of unusual blood clotting problems found in some vaccinated with the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, public broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) reported.
The study showed how the vaccine caused blood clots in the brain in a few patients. The discovery means that treatment for this problem can be developed to prevent consequences.
The success was the result of a collaboration between Greifswald Hospital, the state health regulator Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI), and doctors from Austria - where a nurse died of brain thrombosis after being vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Treatment when thrombosis occurs
The researchers stressed that treatment would only be possible in patients with blood clots, not as preventative treatment.
The information was disseminated to hospitals across Europe.
Germany, as well as several other EU member states, suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Monday following reports of unusual blood clots.
On Thursday the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said there was no proven link between the vaccine and the blood clot, based on the information they had. They also stated that the benefits of vaccination outweigh any possible risks.
Germany decided to resume vaccinations with the AstraZeneca vaccine on Friday. As of Thursday, Germany had injected over 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, including the AstraZeneca vaccine.
