CATANIA - Italian health authorities have taken a batch of 250,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine off the market after three people were reported to have died in Sicily. There is no proof that the deaths are linked to the vaccine but the batch has been suspended while there is an investigation.

  Denmark, Norway and Iceland have all also suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine after a reported death, with Austria, Latvia, Estonia, Luxembourg, Romania and Lithuania all suspending specific batches. 

  However, the UK, which has administered 11 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine so far, has had no severe side effects reported.

  Though the batch in question, lot number ABV2856, has so far only been linked to the deaths in Sicily, it has been delivered around the country and so a national ban has been implemented.

  The National Institute of Health (ISS), the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Carabinieri Health Protection Command (NAS) are working together in the investigation into the deaths and the batch. 

  The whole distribution chain is under investigation, from the production at AstraZeneca to the health personnel at the military hospital where the vaccines were administered.

  The head prosecutor Sabrina Gambino said, “it is a batch that was marketed both in Europe and Italy. We are investigating and unfortunately it is not easy given the numerous people involved. We must not cause alarm, but our choices are made for the protection of public health.”

  The first of the deaths in question was Davide Villa, a police officer from Catania, died of a cerebral haemorrhage 12 days after receiving the vaccine. He had complained of feeling ill before being vaccinated.

   On March 9, Stefano Paternò, a 43 year old Navy officer in Misterbianco, died of a heart attack 12 hours after receiving the first dose. Before he died, he had talked to his family about feeling in “a state of general discomfort, characterised by a rising fever,” and had taken paracetamol.

  The third supposedly related death was Giuseppe Maniscalco, a 54 year old Carabiniere in Trapani who died of a stroke. However, the autopsy ruled out any connection with the vaccine due to the cause of death.

  “Stroke and thromboembolism are not among the collateral effects of the vaccine,” said Sergio Abrignani, immunologist at the University of Milan. “In the case of AstraZeneca it is almost impossible that the anti-Covid vaccine in itself was the cause of these reported incidents, because if it was, it would have already emerged in Great Britain.”

  Experts believe it’s most likely that there was something wrong with the specific batch, and samples of it are now being analysed. 

  While the vaccination campaign in Italy suffers yet more setbacks, the Italian government have announced stricter anti-Covid regulations, with every region now either being a red or orange zone, with the Sardinia the only exception, being white. 

  Lazio, Emilia Romagna, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lombardia, Marche, Piemonte, Puglia, Veneto, Campania, Molise and the province of Trento are red with all other regions (bar Sardinia) are orange.

  The current restrictions are set to last until Easter -  locked down for the second year running - with no region allowed to move to a lighter zone until after Easter.

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