Alternate Vaccine to Oxford-AstraZeneca For Under-30s in UK
Alternate Vaccine Against Coronavirus Is Safe, Effective and Its Benefits Outweigh the Possible Risks of Blood Clotting
Individuals under the age of 30 in the United Kingdom are being offered an alternate vaccine for COVID-19 infection in place of the usually administered Oxford-AstraZeneca jab due to some of the evidence which has been linked with the formation of rare clots in the blood.
This recommendation of an alternate vaccine has been approved after the drug regulating authority of the United Kingdom was able to do a complete review regarding the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and its possible relation with blood clots formation in individuals, as, by the end of the month of March this year, 79 individuals has been reported with clots in their blood sometime after they were administered with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. 19 individuals have died after developing severe secondary complications.
According to the drug regulators, there is still not enough evidential proof that the vaccine was the cause of blood clots; meanwhile, due to the increase in reported cases of blood clots, the link is getting firmer. Due to this, an alternate vaccine is being provided by the government of the United Kingdom to people below the age of 30.
Benefits outweigh rare risk factors
According to the review conducted by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the following data has been collected.
A total number of 79 cases have been diagnosed with blood clots formation, out of which 19 individuals have died after around 20 million Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine doses have been administered in the general population of the region. These statistics revealed that there is a possible risk for four individuals per million doses for the development of clots in blood after a vaccine injection and one in a million for mortality.
Although to be on the safe side, the government has given the option for the administration of an alternate vaccine in place of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in under-30 individuals.
Around two-thirds of the cases with the formation of blood clots were reported in females.
The people who reportedly died after developing critical condition were aged between 79 to 18 years, out of which three individuals were below the age of 30.
All the cases which have been recorded occurred after administration of the first dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 infection occurred after the first dose of vaccine, although due to the reduced amount of administration of the second dose, it was not possible to collect any substantial conclusive result from this.
Restriction of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine
Meanwhile, the medicines regulators of the European Union have stated that the unusual formation of clotting in blood should be listed as one of the rare adverse effects which have been reported after injecting the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, although the benefits for the vaccine outweighs the probable risk factors reported till now. In some of the countries located across Europe have restricted the usage of Oxford-AstraZeneca jab and are looking into other alternate vaccines available in the market.
According to the World Health Organization, the link between the blotting of blood and vaccines was plausible, but is yet to be confirmed, adding that the incidents related to clotting of blood are very rare as among around 200 million individuals have been administered with the viable Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine across the world. Meanwhile, other alternate vaccines are also being administered throughout the world.
According to the Health Secretary of the United Kingdom, Matt Hancock has conducted a review by which it has confirmed that the vaccine manufactured by the collaboration of Oxford and AstraZeneca is effective, safe, and its beneficial effects are able to easily outweigh the possible risks in the vast population.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, stated that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has been able to save countless lives throughout the globe and advises the general population, including individuals of all age groups to continue to have complete confidence in this vaccine against COVID-19 infection. However, an alternate vaccine is also being provided to people refusing to be injected with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
The labor leader has also urged the residents of the United Kingdom to place their trust in the doctors, healthcare workers, and scientists, and he is currently looking forward to receiving his second dose for the COVID—19 vaccine in the upcoming days.
The United Kingdom has reported deaths of 45 individuals from coronavirus infection, while 2,763 confirmed active cases on Wednesday.
Read also 7 Blood Clots Deaths After Administration Of AstraZeneca Vaccine For Covid-19 In The UK