The Oxford/ AstraZeneca jab has been temporarily halted in more than 20 countries following reports of deadly blood clots and other reactions. Among the more than 11M Italians who have already been vaccinated, Italian authorities have documented at least 15 cases of blood clots and 22 cases of pulmonary embolism among those who have received the shots.

Countries that have temporarily suspended the use of Oxford/ AstraZeneca vaccines or batches of the vaccine include: Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Thailand.

After law-enforcement authorities in Sicily and Piedmont seized batches of the AstraZeneca COVID jab, prosecutors in the EU's third-largest economy have launched a manslaughter investigation after a music teacher died just hours after receiving the jab.

According to Italian-language media outlets, 57-year-old Sandro Tognatti died after receiving the jab in his hometown of Biella on Saturday afternoon. He soon developed a high fever, but went to bed anyway, he his wife, Simona Riussi, told the Italian press.

The next morning, Riussi awoke to find Tognatti dead.