Under-30s face AstraZeneca vaccine cancellations from tomorrow
Under-30s who were booked in to receive their first Covid-19 jab will now have their appointments cancelled, following the change in advice on the AstraZeneca vaccine.
From tomorrow anyone aged under 30 who was scheduled for a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine will have their appointment cancelled.
Individuals will then be asked to contact their GP team to discuss the benefits and risks associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine or another vaccine.
Yesterday worries about the rare link between the AstraZeneca jab and blood clots prompted a change in course from the government’s medical regulator, which said anyone under 30 should be offered an alternative vaccine as a precaution.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the government’s advisory group, insisted the recommendation did not amount to a ban on the AstraZeneca jab for young people, but merely “a preference” that they seek an alternative.
In a letter to NHS leaders, senior NHS figures Emily Lawson, Stephen Powis and Nikki Kanani said appointments for 9 April would need to be cancelled immediately.
The letter said: “For those who have a first dose appointment at a vaccination centre or community pharmacy on or after 9 April, booked through the National Booking Service, these appointments will be cancelled centrally.
“For those booked via a local booking system, these appointments must be cancelled locally. Individuals will be asked to contact their GP team to discuss the benefit and risks to them of receiving the AstraZeneca or another vaccine.
“If, following a conversation with a clinician, an individual chooses to go ahead with the AstraZeneca vaccination, all vaccination sites should make this option available.
“If an individual chooses to have another vaccine, the NHS will put appropriate arrangements in place.”
NHS England was not immediately available for comment.