"astrazeneca-vaccine"

Taiwan has signed contracts securing 10 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, 5.05 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, and 4.76 million doses of vaccines through COVAX.

The move paved the way for more than a dozen European countries, which had suspended use of the shot over the past week, to begin using it again.

Germany, France, Italy and Spain were among countries that suspended use of the vaccine on Monday.

Thailand last week was the first country outside Europe to temporarily suspend using the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The Health Ministry said the decision was taken as a precaution and on the advice of Germany's national vaccine regulator, the Paul Ehrlich Institute, which called for further investigation of the cases.

"Safety is of paramount importance and the Company is continually monitoring the safety of its vaccine," the company said in a statement on Sunday.

Earlier on Sunday, Ireland suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine as new information emerged on blood clotting incidents in Norway.

"WHO is aware that some countries have suspended the use of AstraZeneca vaccines, based on reports of blood clots in some people who received doses of the vaccine from two batches. This measure was taken as a precaution while a full investigation is finalized," Tedros

Yong Poovorawan, an advisor to Thailand's vaccination program, said the delay, pending an investigation into the cause of the reported side effect, will not have a big impact on the rollout.

Thousands of doctors, nurses and technicians working at hospitals designated to treat COVID-19 patients lined up in the morning and received the first jabs of the AstraZeneca vaccine.