Germany, France, Italy and Spain have all halted the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine – which was developed with Oxford University – amid growing concerns as EU member states have recorded a number of blood clots after the vaccine was administered to patients.
Portugal, Slovenia, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Bulgaria have also all halted the inoculation of the jab, despite advice from the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
The move has been dubbed a “complete disgrace” by Britons furious at the perceived political motivation behind the suspension.
One Express.co.uk reader said: “I actually despise the EU more than words could ever express adequately but I never in my wildest dreams thought they would publicly display so vividly to the rest of the world their mind-blowing childishness, pettiness, jealousy, envy and desperation in their doomed quest to destroy Great Britain and anything to do with Great Britain.
“I lost family members in two world wars to help that continent.
“I sincerely hope they go back to the dark ages and rot in purgatory.”
Someone else said: “Look at the statistics: The chances of getting a blood clot in your lifetime is between 3 and 5 percent.
“The chance of getting it from the vaccine (based upon the given statistics) is 0.0004545454545 percent).
“This is a political move by the EU to discredit the AZ vaccine and frighten people.
READ MORE: Three of the top four European countries for Covid vaccines not in EU
Another reader added: “This EU boycott of the AstraZeneca vaccine is excellent news for the rest of the world.
“Just hope the Europeans don’t travel outside their zone for the next year or two.”
Someone else said the EU is “trying to divert the total incompetence” of their vaccine rollout.
Another person said: “At this rate the UK should be able to get the whole population vaccinated twice without having any supply problems.
“Sounds good to me.”
A sixth person said: “Given that Italy has suspended the use of the AZ vaccine, the EU might want to release to Australia the 250,000 doses of the vaccine that they had illegally withheld.”
Another Express.co.uk reader said: “This is about politics and nothing to do with science.
“Absolutely typical of the EU.
“It’s more interested in dogma than its own people.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson dismissed concerns over the use of the jab.
Asked directly if he could tell the public that the vaccine is safe, Mr Johnson said: “Yes, I can. In the MHRA we have one of the toughest and most experienced regulators in the world.
“They see no reason at all to discontinue the vaccination programme… for either of the vaccines that we’re currently using.
“They believe that they are highly effective in driving down not just hospitalisation but also serious disease and mortality.
“We continue to be very confident about the programme and it’s great to see it being rolled out at such speed across the UK.”