AstraZeneca Vaccine Not for Under 30s

There has been much debate over the safety of the Covid AstraZeneca vaccine due to links to rare blood clots. So people in the UK under the age of 30 will now be offered an alternative.

This decision comes after the UK drugs regulator reviewed the situation. By the end of March, they found that 79 people suffered rare blood clots after receiving the vaccine. 19 of these cases resulted in death.

However, there was no proof the jab was the cause of the clots. But it did seem like the link was strengthening.

The review carried out by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) found:

• 79 cases and 19 deaths happened after the administration of 20 million doses. This gives a risk of about four in one million of getting a blood clot, and one in a million of dying
• Almost two-thirds of the people developing clots were women
• Those who died were between 18 and 79 years old, three of which were under the age of 30
• All recorded cases happened after receiving the first dose. Although a low number of second doses meant they were not able to draw a proper conclusion from this.

Some European countries have restricted the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine due to fears. However, the EU’s medicines regulator insists that the benefits of having the jab outweigh any risks. Although they say it should be listed that blood clots are possibly a very rare side effect of the vaccine.

The World Health Organization says there is a “plausible” link between the vaccine and blood clots, but it is not confirmed. They added that out of the near 200 million people worldwide who had received the vaccine, cases of clotting were “very rare”.

Should we be worried about the AstraZeneca Vaccine?

Firstly, it has to be said that no treatment or vaccine is completely risk free. The important thing to consider is if it does more good than harm. Even if you assume it is causing the blood clots, updates on vaccination demonstrate that the AstraZeneca vaccine does. And it still has not been proven that the jab is the cause of such clots.

The risk of dying from a blood clot after having the vaccine is only about one in a million. This is an incredibly small chance.

Compare this to the risks encountered after contracting Covid and you will see the difference. Among those who develop symptoms of Covid, one in eight people over the age of 75, and one in 1,000 in their 40s, will die from the infection.

It is harder to determine the risks for people under the age of 30 as there is less chance they will die of Covid. Although the AstraZeneca vaccine still offers more benefit than risk.

It might be worrying to think there is a risk, but it is actually very low. Other things need to be considered, it is not usual to just look at things in terms of risk.

Benefit Outweighs Risk

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the UK’s review confirmed that for most adults the AstraZeneca vaccine is “safe, effective and the benefits far outweigh the risks”.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the AstraZeneca vaccine had “already saved thousands of lives”. He hopes the new advice will ensure people of all ages continue to have full confidence in vaccinations.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer urged people to “trust in our doctors and scientists”. He sais he himself was looking forward to receiving his second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

AstraZeneca agreed that the reviews by the regulators reaffirmed the belief that the benefits of the vaccine “continue to far outweigh the risks”.

Chief executive of the MHRA June Raine said the side-effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine were “extremely rare”. They are doing more work to identify if the vaccine is the definite cause of the clots. She stated that “the public’s safety is at the forefront of our minds.”

Other vaccines might be better

Since the review, the UK government’s vaccine advisory group, the JCVI, recommend that people aged 18 to 29 are offered an alternative vaccine where possible.

Professor Lim Wei Shen, of the JCVI, said the move was not because of serious safety concerns, but rather they were being extremely cautious.

Chairman of the Commission on Human Medicines, Prof Sir Munir Pirmohamed, said the risks of the vaccine had to be weighed up against the consequences of Covid.

Covid also causes clotting. 7.8% of coronavirus patients develop blood clots on the lungs, while 11.2% get deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in the legs.

Anyone who has received their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine should continue to get their second. Only those who suffered a rare blood clot afterwards should not get vaccinated.

People with blood disorders, those with risk of clotting and pregnant women should discuss any concerns with their doctor before getting their vaccination.

Anyone experiencing symptoms such as persistent headache, blurred vision or confusion for four or more days after vaccination, or those with unusual bruising, shortness of breath or chest pain should seek medical advice.

England’s deputy chief medical officer, Prof Jonathan Van-Tam, said that this move should not have a big impact on the government’s promise to offer all adults a jab by the end of July. But only as long as the supplies of the other Covid vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna, arrived in the UK as expected.

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