AstraZeneca
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A British trial of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine on children has been paused, Oxford University said Tuesday, as global regulators rush to assess its possible link to rare blood clots in adults, AFP reports.

The university, which helped develop the vaccine, said in a statement quoted by the news agency that there were "no safety concerns" in the trial, but acknowledged fears over a potential link to clots by saying that it was awaiting additional data from Britain's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) before restarting the study.

"Parents and children should continue to attend all scheduled visits and can contact the trial sites if they have any questions," it added.

A host of countries, including Germany, France, Italy, and Spain, recently suspended use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine amid reports of dangerous blood clots forming in some vaccinators. Some of those countries have resumed inoculations.

The European Union's drug regulatory agency issued a statement two weeks ago saying that the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is not linked to an overall increase in risk of blood clots.

The MHRA is one of many bodies across the globe analyzing real world data from the AstraZeneca rollout to see if there is a definitive link between the jab and a rare form of blood clot, after cases were initially reported in Norway and continental Europe.

The MHRA reported over the weekend that there had been 30 blood clotting cases, seven fatal, out of the 18 million doses administered in Britain.

The European Medicines Agency said Tuesday it "has not yet reached a conclusion and the review is currently ongoing".