UK rolls out Moderna COVID-19 vaccines as questions mount over AstraZeneca jabs

The UK PM Boris Johnson on April 7 informed that the country has begun rolling out its third coronavirus vaccine, from the US company Moderna. While taking to Twitter, Johnson said that the first jabs of the two-stage Moderna inoculation were injected at a hospital in Wales. Further, the Prime Minister also said that Britain has ordered 17 million doses of the Moderna jabs, which is enough for 8.5 million people in the UK, according to SkyNews. 

The Moderna vaccine has joined ones from AstraZeneca-Oxford University and Pfizer-BioNTech in Britain’s armoury against COVID-19. The United Kingdom began rolling out Moderna jabs as questions have been mounting over jabs from the country’s main supplier, AstraZeneca. Additionally, supply problems for AstraZeneca had also threatened to complicate Britain’s inoculation drive this month, while concerns over the potential link between the jab and rare blood clots among a small number of recipients were reported. 

On Tuesday, the company said that a trial of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine on children has been paused in the UK as regulators assess its possible link to blood clots. According to SkyNews, a University of Oxford spokesperson stressed that there were “no safety concerns”, however, they also added that further information was being awaited from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The WHO and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will also reveal their findings later this week.

30 blood clotting cases reported in UK 

The recent announcement is the latest drawback to AstraZeneca, which has been embroiled in controversy over failing to deliver its promised doses to the European Union, and over its efficacy and safety profile. Over the weekend, there have been reports of 30 blood clotting cases, seven fatal, out of the total 18 million doses administered in Britain. Last month, several countries in the European Union temporarily suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine over reports of blood clots in recipients. 

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) launched an investigation into the reports of blood clots in people who had been given AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine. On March 18, EMA concluded that there was no increase in the overall risk of blood clots in recipients of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, reaffirming its safety and efficacy. Germany and the Netherlands, however, said they will suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for use in people aged 60 or above. 

(Image credits: AP)