The patient whose thrombosis case is being investigated by the health authorities over a potential link to the COVID-19 vaccine was administered the AstraZeneca jab, Times of Malta can confirm. 

On Wednesday, the health ministry said it had been informed of a 58-year-old person who suffered thrombosis two weeks after receiving the first dose of the vaccine. 

The ministry has now confirmed the individual was administered the AstraZeneca vaccine but provided no additional details about the case. A spokesperson reiterated the individual "is now in a stable condition and doing well". 

Test results about another case detected earlier this month are still pending, with Health Minister Chris Fearne saying on Sunday the first of two sets of tests did not confirm a link between the vaccine and the thrombosis case.  

"The Health Authorities remind the general public that the European Medicines Agency confirmed that unusual blood clots with low blood platelets are a very rare side effect of the vaccine and that the overall benefits of the vaccine in preventing COVID-19 outweigh the risks of side effects," the spokesperson said. 

Earlier this month the European Medicines Authority said that around 34 million people have received the vaccine in the European Economic Area and United Kingdom. Of those, there have been 169 reported cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis and 53 cases of splanchnic vein thrombosis. Both are rare kinds of blood clots.

Malta is currently vaccinating all those aged 40 and over, with more than 326,000 doses administered. Over 104,000 people have been fully vaccinated. 

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