Scots under-30s are to be offered an alternative covid jab to the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine due to the evidence linking it to rare blood clots, the UK’s vaccine advisory body has said.
People aged 18 to 29 will be offered the Pfizer, Moderna or another jab where available, scientists revealed in a major press conference.
The AstraZeneca jab rollout is not being halted in the UK and if it is the only one available in their area, people will still be offered that jab regardless of their age.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) insisted benefits of the jab still outweigh the risks and ministers and scientists urged people to continue getting vaccinated.
Jonathan Van-Tam, England’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer, and one of the most trusted government communicators admitted it was “a course correction” as he broke the news at a press conference.
But he added: “This is a massive beast we are driving along at enormous pace with enormous success, this vaccine programme.
"If you sail an enormous liner across the Atlantic, then it’s not really reasonable that you aren’t going to have to make at least one course correction during that voyage”.
UK vaccine authority chief, Prof Wei Shen Lim, insisted the change was being made “out of the utmost caution, rather than because we have any serious safety concerns”.
The development came as Europe’s medicines regulator officially branded blood clots a rare side-effect of the AstraZeneca vaccine but said the benefits of vaccination still outweigh the risks.
A review by the UK drugs regulator, the MHRA, found by the end of March 79 people in the UK had suffered rare blood clots after vaccination leading to 19 deaths. That is up from 30 cases and seven deaths out of 18.1million doses a week ago.
Of the 19 deaths, 14 involved cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), a type of clot that prevents blood from draining from the brain.
The regulator said this was not proof the jab had caused the clots. But it said the link was getting firmer.
Nearly two-thirds of the cases of rare clots were seen in women. The people who died were aged between 18 and 79.
Professor Van-Tam said the change in advice for the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine should not delay the rollout of jabs with the UK still on course to offer all adults a first dose vaccine by July.
He told the briefing: “The programme should not be delayed because of this change in course, everything should stay on course.”
Van-Tam has said it would be “pretty absurd” to withhold the AstraZeneca vaccine from the over-40s.
He said : “The idea of withholding a vaccine where a potential harm, for example in the 40-49 group, is 0.5 harms per 100,000 people versus 51.5 intensive care admissions averted, and that’s not taking into account hospitalisations, long Covid and spreading to others, then the notion that you would clip the vaccine at that point is pretty absurd really."
Boris Johnson tweeted: “As the regulators have said, this vaccine is safe, effective and has already saved thousands of lives – and the vast majority of people should continue to take it when offered.”
He added: “We will follow today’s updated advice, which should allow people of all ages to continue to have full confidence in vaccines, helping us save lives and cautiously return towards normality.”
The UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock also took to social medaia with reassurance. He tweeted: “The MHRA EMAs have confirmed that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is safe, effective & that the benefits far outweigh the risks for the vast majority of adults. We’re on track to offer a first jab to all adults by the end of July. When you get the call, get the jab.”
He added: “Many thanks to the excellent regulators & my clinical advisors for their work, their clarity & their total transparency. This is the excellence of UK institutions in action: clear, transparent, communication of advice based on the best quality science.”
The cases have been seen among 20 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine given in the UK.
It comes as the EU’s medicines regulator says unusual blood clots should be listed as a very rare side effect of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
