AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine study paused after one illness

Late-stage studies of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate are on temporary hold while the company investigates whether a patient had a serious side effect linked to the shot. In a statement issued Tuesday evening, the company said it was pausing vaccinations to look into “a potentially unexplained illness,” to see if the link is real or a coincidence. Temporary halts in medical studies aren’t uncommon. Two other vaccines are in huge, final-stage tests in the United S