More UK residents who received the AstraZeneca vaccine developed blood clots than initially believed, officials said, as German officials recommend avoiding the brand when it comes to booster shots.
Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency announced Thursday that it has recorded 30 blood clot cases, a huge jump from the previous tally of five.
It included 22 reports of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, an extremely rare brain ailment, and eight reports of other clotting events associated with low blood platelets soon after getting the controversial jab.
It was not clear how seriously ill the 30 became, although there have been reports of deaths elsewhere in Europe, where more than a dozen nations have stopped using AstraZeneca’s vaccine.
The UK has yet to receive a single report of such a clot in those getting the BioNTech and Pfizer jabs.
Health officials still say the benefits of fighting COVID-19 with the AstraZeneca shot outweigh the risks, noting that the 30 cases were out of 18.1 million doses so far given in the UK.
“You should continue to get your vaccine when invited to do so,” the MHRA said.
However, in Germany, officials on Thursday recommended that anyone who has had an AstraZeneca jab switch to a different manufacturer for their second shot.
The country had already restricted its use for those over 60 — and the Standing Vaccination Committee, known as STIKO, recommended those under 60 avoid it, too, United Press International reported.
“Until appropriate data is available, STIKO recommends that people under 60 years old that instead of the second dose of AstraZeneca vaccine a dose of an mRNA vaccine should be administered 12 weeks after the first vaccination,” it said Thursday, according to UPI.
Germany has so far recorded 31 cases of the rare brain clotting — with nine deaths. Nearly all were women under the age of 60.
The nation has also approved three other vaccines — by Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson.
In the US, White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday that AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine may not be needed even if the shot gets approved by federal regulators.
With Post wires