The UK vaccine regulatory body announced on 7 April 2021 that they are recommending against the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for people under 30 if an alternative is available.
This comes after 79 cases of blood clotting were discovered in people under 30 who received the vaccine, with 19 of these cases being fatal. As tens of millions have already received the AstraZeneca vaccine, these cases of blood clotting have been extremely rare.
There has not yet been conclusive proof that the vaccine caused these clots but out of an abundance of caution, the government has weighed the risks and benefits for the AstraZeneca vaccine.
They found that that the cases of blood clots happened disproportionately in young people.
Due to the lower risk of Covid-19 related deaths for young people, they found that the potential harm of this vaccine for those under 30 could outweigh the benefits.
For all age groups 30 and above however, they found that the benefits of the vaccine far outweighed the potential risks.
For people under 30 who are immunocompromised or who have already received the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the UK government still recommends getting the second AstraZeneca dose.
The Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisation (JCVI) also reiterated: “The Covid-19 vaccines have already saved thousands of lives and the benefit for the majority of the population is clear – if you are offered a vaccine, you should take it.”
So far, Pfizer and Moderna, the other two vaccines approved by the Medical and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), have had no cases of this rare blood clotting and are recommended to people of all ages.
EU Reaction to Possible Link
On the same day as the UK announced possible links between the AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clots, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) also concluded that it might be a very rare side effect of the vaccine.
The EMA, however, did not recommend pausing the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine saying: “The overall benefits of the vaccine continue to outweigh the risks in people being vaccinated.”
Although not recommended to pause the use of the vaccine, some EU countries like Ireland have decided to put further restrictions on the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The Irish National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) has recommended that the AstraZeneca vaccine now only be used for people 60 years old and older.
Ireland already has a very limited supply of Covid-19 vaccines due to delayed shipments, so this pause could slow their vaccine rollout further.
Although the Republican of Ireland has halted the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine to certain groups, Northern Ireland, under the guidance of the MHRA, will continue to offer the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Global Response
Other countries have also reacted to the possible link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clots. Countries like Canada and Australia, have recommended the use of AstraZeneca vaccines for only people over the age of 55 and 50 respectively.
As countries begin to create recommendations for the AstraZeneca vaccine, medical regulators worldwide will continue to research the possible link between the vaccine and blood clots.
Some researchers are also now investigating a possible link between blood clots and the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) Covid vaccine, but the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has not yet been approved for use in the UK.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said: “In extensive vaccination campaigns, it is normal for countries to identify potential adverse events following immunization.”
Monique Mulima
Featured image courtesy of Steven Cornfield on Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to this image.
Monique Mulima
Hi I'm Monique. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Communication from Ryerson University. After graduating, I moved from Toronto, Canada to London, UK. I am freelance journalist and I am passionate about politics and current affairs.