Trafford’s health boss has tried to allay people’s concerns about the AstraZeneca covid vaccine.
The European Medicines Agency revealed a potential link between the jab and a rare type of blood clot last week, but also emphasised the benefits of the vaccine ‘still outweigh the risks’.
Since then, national guidance has been issued in the UK to ensure all under 30s will now be offered an alternative vaccine instead of the AstraZeneca.
Those under 30 who have already had their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine will still be getting that one for their second dose as planned.
Trafford’s Director for Public Health, Eleanor Roaf, emphasised the safety of the vaccine at a Public Engagement Board meeting before national guidance was changed.
She explained 40pc of Trafford’s adult population has already been vaccinated – more than 100,000 people.
The health boss said: “Please don’t hesitate to get your vaccine, it is safe.
“I know people are concerned about the AstraZeneca [jab], but Covid is much more likely to give you blood clots and you’re much more likely to catch Covid than to have any reaction to the vaccine.
“So we would really strongly recommend that you take that vaccination.”
Following the national announcement on Wednesday that under 30s are set to be offered an alternative vaccine, Ms Roaf stood by her comments.
She said: “We are very pleased that we have been given such clear guidance by the MHRA and JCVI, who are the independent scientific experts on vaccinations.
“We understand that people may have concerns but please be clear that this is about potential risk and for most of us Covid-19 poses a serious threat to us if we are not vaccinated.”
The health boss explained that the risk of developing a blood clot if you have Covid-19 is high, with more than one in five, or over 20pc, of people hospitalised with Covid having evidence of blood clots.
Ms Roaf said this compares to just four in 1,000,000 people who have had blood clots following their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
She added: “Covid-19 is particularly dangerous for older people and middle aged people. The risk of dying from Covid-19 if you are in your 40s is 12 times higher than if you are in your 20s.
“For this reason, the potential consequences of catching Covid-19 for people over 30 are far greater than any potential risk from the vaccine.
“As Covid-19 poses a much lower risk to healthy young people, vaccination is still safe but the preference will be to give an alternative vaccine, such as Moderna or Pfizer, to ensure vaccination risks are as low as possible.”
Last week, Trafford CCG and Ms Roaf revealed the uptake across the borough for the second dose of the vaccine was lower than it had been for the first.
Rebecca Demaine, of Trafford Clinical Commissioning Group, explained this was likely due to hesitancy over side effects or a level of complacency.
Ms Roaf added that the vaccine was given in a double dose ‘for a reason’ and emphasised the importance for all those in vulnerability cohorts one to nine to get both of their doses.
The health boss again encouraged all of those who are currently eligible for the vaccine – so those who are over 50, carers, who live with someone who’s immune system is compromised (including those receiving chemotherapy) and those who work in front-line health services – to take it up.
She said: “There is still a very real risk from Covid, and people do need to be particularly careful. We do really need to be very, very cautious.
“We would like to reassure people that vaccination remains safe and it is very important that people say yes to their Covid-19 vaccination. So far it is estimated that the UK vaccination programme has saved the lives of over 6,000 people aged 70 and above. If anyone has concerns about their personal risks, they should discuss this with their GP or practice nurse.”
