Officials defend AstraZeneca vaccine after U.K., E.U. blood clot guidance

April 9, 2021:-The British government and health experts in the country are rushing to defend the COVID-19 vaccine by AstraZeneca, and the University of Oxford follows concerns over a link to blood clot.

On Wednesday, the health and vaccine regulators of the U.K. issued guidance on who should receive the dose. According to them, anyone under the age of 30 should receive an alternative vaccine while concerning that it could rarely lead to a severe blood clot.

Following a safety review of the AstraZeneca vaccine, sparked by concerns over reports of rare blood clotting disorders in a small number of vaccinated individuals, the U.K. and European medicines regulators stressed that the benefits of the jab are greater than the risks.

On Thursday, the U.K. health secretary said that the risk of a blood clot after taking the AstraZeneca vaccine is the same as on a long-haul flight. He said the safety measures surrounding the vaccine were robust and enabled regulators to “spot this infrequent event.”

The U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has received a first shot of the vaccine, said that “the best thing people should do is look at what the MHRA say, our independent regulator, that’s why we have them, that’s why they are independent. “Their advice to people is to keep going out there, get your jab, get your second jab,” he said on Thursday.