The UK vaccine advisory body said the Covid-19 vaccine produced by AstraZeneca PLC should not be given preferentially to people under 30, as it is concerned that it causes life-threatening blood clots in very rare cases. rare.
Wednesday’s decision to restrict the vaccine to younger people is a setback for the UK’s flagship inoculation and leaves the country increasingly dependent on Covid-19 shots developed and produced in other countries.
It also gives back to the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, which are facing questions about its effectiveness and possible side effects, even as tens of millions of doses have been administered after security signs in more than 70 countries around the world.
The vaccine, which unlike others does not need to be stored at extremely cold temperatures, has been considered essential for the deployment of vaccines in the poorest countries, many with relatively young populations.
The speed of the UK’s fast-paced vaccine program should not be affected by the decision as long as vaccine supplies are maintained, British officials said. “It’s a correction of the course, if you will, of the UK program,” said British Deputy Director General Jonathan Van-Tam.