Updated at 6.55pm with Ministry of Health statement
No adverse effects have been reported in Malta from a batch of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine which is being investigated in several countries about a possible link to blood clots.
The Ministry of Health said on Thursday that the Malta consignment of the ABV5300 batch was used up several weeks ago.
It said the Malta Medicines Authority had recommended the continuation of the vaccination programme as planned, more so since the European Medicines Agency had declared that there was no indication that it was the cause of complications reported in Austria.
"The consignment from this batch was used in Malta several weeks ago and no doses remain," the ministry said. "The health authorities have not received any reports of reactions by the persons who received it."
The ministry said that while the health authorities would continue to closely follow the situation, there was no cause for alarm for anyone who had received the jab.
Earlier on Thursday, six EU countries said they had suspended the use of the batch off the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Malta was among 17 EU countries to have received the ABV5300 series.
Denmark has suspended the use of the vaccine entirely "following reports of serious cases of blood clots among people vaccinated" but, crucially, added that "it has not been determined, at the time being, that there is a link between the vaccine and the blood clots".
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria and Luxemburg paused the use of the batch.
It remains unclear how many people were administered doses from this batchin Malta.
The European Medicines Authority said there was no indication the clots were caused by the jab and stressed that as of March 9, 22 cases of blood clots had been reported among more than three million people vaccinated in the European Economic Area.
According to details on a vaccine certificate given to one of the people who received a dose from the jab, and seen by Times of Malta, the vaccine was administered on February 25.
Another certificate showed the jab from the same batch was administered the next day, on February 26.
Meanwhile, teachers' union chief Marco Bonnici told Times of Malta the Malta Union of Teacher has formally requested clarification on the matter from the Superintendent of Public Health.
Teachers are the biggest cohort so far to be given the AstraZeneca jab. In recent days, the government announced it would be giving the jab to anyone up to the the age of 70 after having previously restricted its use to those under 55.
Malta has orders for 1 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine as well as 270,000 doses manufactured by Moderna and 650,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
Some 250,000 jabs have also been ordered of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which was approved by the EMA on Thursday and will start to arrive in countries next month.
The EMA said there is currently no indication that the AstraZeneca vaccination has caused these conditions, which are not listed as side effects with this vaccine.
"Batch ABV5300 was delivered to 17 EU countries and comprises 1 million doses of the vaccine. Some EU countries have also subsequently suspended this batch as a precautionary measure, while a full investigation is ongoing.
"Although a quality defect is considered unlikely at this stage, the batch quality is being investigated," the body said.
As of March 9, 22 cases of blood clots had been reported among more than three million people vaccinated in the European Economic Area, the EMA said.