Government advisers have said under-30s should be given an alternative jab to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine where available, amid concerns over a potential side effect of extremely rare blood clotting.
The government’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) issued the new advice for adults aged between 18 and 29 with no underlying health conditions or risks from coronavirus.
There had been 79 cases of blood clots associated with low platelet cells in the blood, out of which 19 people have died, including three under the age of 30, according to the UK’s medicines regulator.
These cases were out of 20 million doses administered, the head of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said, stressing thousands of lives have been saved in vaccination efforts.
“More work is needed to establish beyond all doubt that the vaccine has caused these side effects,” MHRA chief June Raine said.
It comes as Boris Johnson thanked experts for explaining “the potential for extremely rare side effects” and urged people to “continue to have full confidence in vaccines”.
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