LONDON (AP) – The British drug regulator is urging people to continue taking the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, despite revealing that seven people in the UK have died from rare blood clots after receiving the punch.
The Medicines and Health Regulatory Agency, or MHRA, said it was unclear whether the shots were causing the clots and that its “rigorous review of British reports on rare and specific types of blood clots is ongoing”.
Although the agency said late Friday that seven people had died as a result of developing blood clots, it did not disclose any information about their ages or health conditions.
In total, MHRA said it had identified 30 cases of rare blood clot events from 18.1 million doses of AstraZeneca administered as of March 24 inclusive. The risk associated with this type of blood clot is “very small,” he added.
“The benefits of the COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing COVID-19 infection and its complications continue to outweigh the risks and the public should continue to get the vaccine when invited,” said Dr. June Raine, no executive of the agency.
Concerns about the AstraZeneca vaccine have already led some countries, such as Canada, France, Germany and the Netherlands, to restrict its use to the elderly.
The UK, which has launched coronavirus vaccines faster than other European countries, is especially dependent on the AstraZeneca vaccine, developed by scientists at Oxford University. He has also used the vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, of which the agency has not seen any reports of blood clots.
Figures on Saturday showed that the UK has administered a first dose of vaccine to 31.4 million people, or around 46% of its population, a much higher rate than the rest of Europe. Administering second doses is the priority for April, as 5.2 million people have received twice.
The relative success of the country’s vaccination program has been credited with helping to drastically reduce new coronavirus infections in the UK after a winter wave, paving the way for a moderate moderation of blocking restrictions at meetings.
On Saturday, the UK recorded 3,423 infections, just over the previous day’s six-month low of 3,402. It also recorded only ten coronavirus-related deaths, the lowest daily total since early September.
Despite the improved coronavirus backdrop, the UK has recorded the highest number of COVID-related deaths in Europe, with more than 126,500 deaths.
In France, which has restricted the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine to people over 55, the family of a 38-year-old woman who died after suffering blood clots after vaccination filed a criminal complaint in Toulouse. Languedoc to request an investigation into homicide. .
He is among four people in France who died after suffering blood clots in the weeks following the AstraZeneca vaccine. The French national health safety agency says it is investigating these cases and eight more cases of severe blood clotting in people who survived.
The MHRA’s opinion on the relative benefits of the vaccine is shared by the European Medicines Agency. It has been said that the causal link between unusual blood clots in people who have had the AstraZeneca vaccine “is not proven, but it is possible,” and that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks of side effects. The World Health Organization has also urged countries to continue using the punch.
Adam Finn, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Bristol, said the “extreme rarity” of blood clotting events in the context of the millions of blows administered in the UK makes the decision very simple.
“Receiving the vaccine is by far the safest choice in terms of minimizing the individual’s risk of serious illness or death,” he said.
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Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.
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