Severe allergies should be added to the possible side effects of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine after likely links were found to a number of cases in Britain, the EU's drug regulator said on Friday.

A patient receives the Astrazeneca coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine in Senftenberg, Brandenburg, eastern Germany, on March 3, 2021, where the first vaccinations are given in doctors' surgeries. (File photo: AFP)

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said it had "recommended an update to the product information to include anaphylaxis and hypersensitivity (allergic reactions) as side effects".