Countries limit Astrazeneca as regulators stress risk low

In Spain, residents now have to be over 60 to get an Astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine. In Belgium, over 55. In Britain, authorities recommend the shot not be given to adults under 30 where possible, and Australia’s Government announced similar limits yesterday to Astrazeneca vaccinations for those under 50.

A patchwork of advice was emerging from Governments around the world after the European Union’s drug regulator said there was a “possible link” between the Astrazeneca vaccine and a rare clotting disorder while reiterating the vaccine is safe and effective.

Regulators in Britain and the European Union both stressed that the risk is very low for most people, and the EU agency maintained its guidance that the vaccine can be used in all adults.

News of the tiny risk already is already having an effect. In Croatia, the Government said that one in four people due to get an Astrazeneca vaccine yesterday didn’t show up. Poland, too, has also seen people cancel or not appear for appointments to get the vaccine. French general practitioner Dr Joel Valendoff said many of his patients were still coming to get their dose, but many others were cancelling.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, whose country’s vaccination programme leans heavily on Astrazeneca’s vaccine, announced that the Pfizer vaccine should be adopted as the preferred vaccine for people under 50. “We’ve been taking the necessary precautions based on the best possible medical advice,” Morrison said. “It has not been our practice to jump at shadows.”