EMA press conference on AstraZeneca at 1400 GMT

THE HAGUE: The European Medicines Agency will hold a press conference on its findings over possible links between AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine and blood clots at 4pm (1400 GMT) on Wednesday, the Amsterdam-based regulator said.

"EMA is holding a virtual press briefing on the conclusion of the evaluation of a safety signal with Vaxzevria (formerly Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca) relating to cases of thromboembolic events by EMA's safety committee," it said in a statement.

EMA chief Emer Cooke and senior officials from the agency will take part in the press conference, which comes after several European countries suspended use of the vaccine for younger people over the issue.

The agency said it was a "preliminary timing" and could change.

A senior EMA official was quoted in Italian media on Tuesday as saying that there was a "clear" connection between the AstraZeneca jab and clots, and that the agency would announce it soon.

"In my opinion, we can say it now, it is clear there is a link with the vaccine," EMA head of vaccine strategy Marco Cavaleri told Italy's Il Messaggero newspaper in an interview. "But we still do not know what causes this reaction."

However the EMA said later on Tuesday it had "not yet reached a conclusion and the review is currently ongoing".

The watchdog has so far said that the vaccine is safe and effective, and that the benefits of using it to prevent illness and death caused by Covid-19 outweigh the possible risks.

Last week after a meeting of experts the EMA said it had not found any "specific risk factors" such as age, gender or a previous medical history of clotting disorders.