Half of the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca's vaccine shipments to the European Union (EU) will be delayed this week, a company spokesman told AFP Friday. "We communicated to the EC (European Commission) and member states last week that one of the two batches for delivery this week would require testing and will be delivered soon," the spokesman said. "Weekly deliveries typically show small fluctuations depending on a number of operational factors such as distribution or completion of quality and safety testing." The company nonetheless "remains on target to meet its delivery plans for the second quarter" of 2021, the spokesman said. Relations between the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical group and the EU regarding its Covid-19 vaccine have been difficult at times. The EU's drug regulator said earlier Friday it was probing a new condition linked to the vaccine. Five cases were reported of people suffering a rare condition in which tiny blood vessels leak after getting the AstraZeneca jab, causing swelling and a drop in blood pressure. "It is not yet clear whether there is a causal association" between the two vaccines and the cases, the Amsterdam-based EMA said in a statement that also referred to a vaccine produced by US group Johnson & Johnson. That came on top of an EMA advisory on Wednesday that blood clots should be listed as a "very rare" side effect of the AstraZeneca jab. ved-wai/bp