Regulators mull restricting Astrazeneca jab for under-40s over blood clot fears
UK scientists are reportedly considering whether under-40s should be advised to have an alternative vaccine to the Astrazeneca jab due to blood clot fears.
Earlier this month it was recommended that under-30s should be offered a different jab as the risk of developing a blood clot outweighed the benefits of receiving the vaccine.
The risk of developing a serious blood clot has risen from one in 250,000 to around one in 126,600 over the last two weeks, according to data from te Medical Healthcare products and Regulatory Agency, The Telegraph said.
This has prompted the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to consider a change of policy.
However, a University of Oxford report published this month showed that the risk of developing a blood clot from catching coronavirus is eight times higher than after being given the Astrazeneca vaccine.
Scientists found that cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) occurred in 39 per million coronavirus patients, compared with around 5 per million people given the Astrazeneca jab.
Read more: EU regulator probes possible blood clot risk with Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine
In the study of more than 500,000 patients in the US, the risk of developing a blood clot was reported to be around 100 times higher after contracting coronavirus than normal.
Researchers said the figures should help regulators and the public to better understand the “risk-benefit question” associated with Covid vaccines.
More than half of people in the UK have received their first dose of a Covid vaccine, with the government confident it will meet its deadline to vaccinate all over-18s by the end of July despite supply hiccups with the Astrazeneca jab.