NEW JABS FOR YOUNG
Medics back shot change to protect all under-30s
UNDER-30S will have Moderna and Pfizer jabs over the Oxford vaccine due to “rare” blood clots.
Government advisers said those aged 18 to 29 would be offered shots from the two manufacturers after 79 of the 18million who have had the Astrazeneca vaccination developed blood clots.
But England’s deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-tam said the new advice was just a simple “course correction” after a “very successful” vaccine rollout.
And for most age groups the “benefits
outweigh the risks”. European Medicines Agency chief Emer Cooke confirmed that unusual blood clots are a “very rare” side effect of the jab.
She said: “It’s very important that we use the vaccines we have available to us as we need to beat this pandemic.
“We need to make sure people have confidence in these vaccines. These are very rare side effects.”
Medics stated that people who have received the first dose of the Astrazeneca vaccine should continue to be offered the second dose according to schedule.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the Government believes the vaccine is “safe”.
Dr June Raine, chief executive of the MHRA, said: “More work is still needed to establish that the vaccine has caused these side-effects.”