The Africa Centers for Disease Control on Tuesday announced that it was reviewing its guidance on AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine following suspension of its use by multiple European countries.

A number of countries in Africa have rolled out mass vaccination drives using the vaccine which has found itself in the middle of a safety controversy.

"The AstraZeneca vaccine was seen to be safe and efficacious and we would need to review the data. We should guide the response with strong science and evidence," Africa CDC Director John Nkengasong said in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Tuesday. "The Africa CDC will be convening an emergency meeting this afternoon with all the experts across the continent to look at the data and what we know, and then to provide appropriate guidance to the continent."

South Africa last month suspended a planned mass vaccination drive using the AstraZeneca vaccine saying it had little impact on mild infections caused by a variant of the virus first identified in the country late last year.

Since last week, multiple European countries have suspended the AstraZeneca shots either entirely or from specific batches, citing potential adverse effects including possible blood clots.

The World Health Organization's (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom however said on Monday reports of blood clots in people who have received COVID-19 vaccines does not necessarily mean the occurrence is linked to the jabs.

He said WHO's Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety is reviewing the available data and was scheduled to meet today on the same.