'People should have confidence': UK officials back AstraZeneca jabs amid blood clot fears

UK officials and ministers are seeking to stir confidence among citizens to take AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine shots amid fears of a blood clot and advised that most people under the age of 30 being offered alternative jabs is not unusual and would not further impact the rollout. Anthony Harden, the Deputy Chairman of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) that issued the new advice assured people that the experts in the nation are closely monitoring the issue and people “should still have confidence.”

In the statement, JCVI said on April 7 that “Analysis of infection data since the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccines in the UK demonstrates that vaccination is highly effective and substantially reduces the risk of infection and severe COVID-19 disease.” 

Wei Shen Lim, who chairs Britain’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization said, “We are not advising a stop to any vaccination for any individual in any age group. We are advising a preference for one vaccine over another vaccine for a particular age group ... out of the utmost caution rather than because we have any serious safety concerns.” 

Further, Dr. Peter English, who formerly chaired the British Medical Association’s Public Health Medicine Committee noted that back-and-forth over AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine shots could lead to serious consequences. He reportedly said, “We can’t afford not to use this vaccine if we are going to end the pandemic.”

EMA on AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clots

The assurance by British lawmakers poured in after European Medicines Agency (EMA) said that it had found a “possible link” between the shot and the rare fatal clots but the body did not offer any age restrictions that are now being offered by the UK authorities. Instead, EMA left it up to the member nations to decide over the restrictions on the use of AstraZeneca jabs. On April 7, EU and UK regulators held a simultaneous news conference to announce the results of their respective investigations into the reports of blood clots that triggered concerns over the vaccine shots.  EU agency called the clots “very rare” side effects. 

“The risk of mortality from COVID is much greater than the risk of mortality from these side effects,” said Emer Cooke, the EMA’s executive director.

Image credits: AP/Unsplash