A very small number of unusual blood clots have been reported among people in Ireland who received the AstraZeneca vaccine, health officials have confirmed.
The Health Products Regulatory Authority issued a Covid-19 vaccine safety update on Thursday confirming that less than five people had experienced the suspected side effect here.
The European Medicines Agency has previously published guidance on the AstraZeneca vaccine, with experts saying there was a "clear" link between the rare clots and the jab, but that the benefits still significantly outweigh the risks.
The HPRA confirmed that the product information had now been updated to include "blood clots that occur in combination with a low level of blood platelets (cells that help the blood to clot) as a very rare but possible side effect".
And most cases reported here were in women under the age of 60.
Their statement read: "The types of blood clots seen have sometimes occurred in unusual locations(e.g. brain, bowel, liver, spleen). The majority occurred within two to three weeks following vaccination and were seen mainly in women under 60 years of age, although no specific risk factors have been confirmed.
"Whilst the risk is very low, vaccine recipients should be aware of the remote possibility of developing this side effect. It is important that those vaccinated are aware of the updated advice, and are alert for signs and symptoms and know when medical attention should be sought. These include shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling, or persistent abdominal pain following vaccination.
"Those vaccinated are also asked to seek immediate medical attention if they experience after a few days severe or persistent headaches or blurred vision after vaccination, or skin bruising or pinpoint round spots beyond the site of vaccination which appears after a few days."
Meanwhile the most common side effects, reported in more than 10% of those who received the AstraZeneca vaccine, were a fever, feeling cold, tiredness dizziness, headache, joint pain, muscle pain, pain (non-specific) and nausea.
Experts added that these side effects were "consistent with the types of events typically observed following vaccination".
