Seven People Die from Blood Clots after AstraZeneca Vaccine Injection
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The UK's medicines watchdog said it has found 30 cases of rare blood clots in people who have had the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID vaccine, adding seven of them had died.
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said there is currently no evidence to suggest a causal link between blood clots and the vaccine, and that the benefits continue to outweigh any risk, TheSun reported.
Investigations are under way to determine if there is a link or if the cases are a coincidence.
The MHRA's chief executive, Dr June Raine, said: "The benefits of COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca in preventing COVID-19 infection and its complications continue to outweigh any risks and the public should continue to get their vaccine when invited to do so."
The MHRA said on Thursday there had been "22 reports of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) and 8 reports of other thrombosis events with low platelets".
The British Society for Haematology has issued new guidance for doctors, amid concerns about a condition known as thrombocytopenia.
It involves patients who have low numbers of platelet cells, needed for clotting, in their blood.
The guidance states: "An expert team of our peers have recently been involved in diagnosing and managing a rare syndrome of thrombosis associated with low platelets which have been reported in a few cases.
"At the moment, any causal association with coronavirus vaccination has not been established.
"However, if you identify patients with this syndrome in proximity to coronavirus vaccination, it is very important that you complete the online yellow card - this will trigger a request from MHRA for further details."
MHRA has said that anyone who’s been given the jab and has a headache that lasts for more than four days or bruising beyond the site of the vaccination after a few days, should seek medical help.
But it also added that a headache is part of one of the most common side effects of the vaccine - flu-like symptoms, although these should normally disappear within a day or two.
To date, 31,301,267 people have had a first vaccine dose in the UK and 4,948,635 have had two doses.
Fears over the safety of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab led 20 European countries to suspend vaccinations last month.
Most resumed after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) ruled the vaccine was safe for all ages.
But France and Germany have said it should not be given to younger patients who are thought to be more at risk of clots.
Millions of people across the world have had the cheap and effective AstraZeneca vaccine without any complications.
Regulators have stressed that the benefits of the jab far outweigh any potential risks.
