Those aged under 30 will be offered an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine where possible in the UK, due to the risk of developing rare blood clots.
That’s according to the UK’s vaccine advisory body.
A review by the drugs regulator MHRA has revealed that 79 people in the UK suffered rare blood clots after vaccination up to the end of March. Nineteen of these people died.
The regulator last week backed the vaccine and said there was no increased risk of blood clots in general.
Dr June Raine, of the MHRA, said the side-effects were “extremely rare”.
She said more work would be carried out to identify if the vaccine was definitely causing the clots.
“The balance of benefits and known risks is still very favourable for the majority of people,” she said.
However, she said for younger age groups it was more “finely balanced”.
“The public’s safety is at the forefront of our minds.”
That advice is that people who have had their first dose of the vaccine should still receive their second dose. Only those who suffered a rare blood clot should not get vaccinated, the MHRA said.
