UK to offer under-40s alternative to AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine over blood clot concerns

London, May 7 (FN Bureau) People under 40 years old in the United Kingdom will be offered an alternative to the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine as a “precautionary approach” due to risk of thrombosis in younger adults, England’s Health authorities announced on Friday. According to the statement issued by Public Health England (PHE), the decision was made following recommendations from the UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

“The JCVI has advised a preference for adults aged 30 to 39 without underlying health conditions to receive an alternative to the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine – where available and only if this does not cause substantial delays in being vaccinated,” PHE said. The vaccine developed by the UK-Swedish pharmaceutical and the University of Oxford has lately been under scrutiny in light of reports about some recipients developing blood clots after vaccination. However, both the UK medicine regulator and the European Medicines Agency have recommended its use, arguing that blood clots are very rare events and that the benefits of taking the jab outweigh the risks.

Over 34 million people in the UK, or 52% of population, have received a first dose so far of either the AstraZeneca/Oxford, the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, while health authorities claimed that the vaccine programme is estimated to have prevented over 10,000 deaths by the end of March. “The balance of benefits and risks is very favourable for older people but is more finely balanced for younger people and we advise that this evolving evidence should be taken into account when considering the use of the vaccine, as JVCI has done,” June Raine, chief executive of the UK medicines regulator, was quoted as saying. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged that every adult in the UK should be offered a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of July.