AstraZeneca vaccine is 'safe and effective', European regulator rules

The rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Ireland will resume in the next few days, according to the HSE.

The EMA has concluded there is no overall increase in the risk of blood clots with the vaccine (Charles McQuillan/PA)

The AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is “safe and effective”, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has concluded, leading Ireland to announce it would resume using the jab in the next few days.

The European regulator said it “cannot rule out definitively” a link between “a small number of cases of rare and unusual but very serious blood clotting disorders” and the vaccine, though investigations were ongoing.