So far 18 million have been administered the vaccine in the United Kingdom, out of which 30 reported blood clots.
The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said on Saturday that 7 of 30 people who suffered blood clots after receiving the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, have died. "Out of the 30 reports up to and including 24 March, sadly 7 have died," said the medical regulator in a statement. So far 18 million have been administered the vaccine in the country, out of which 30 reported blood clots.
Several European countries have already paused the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine over concerns related to blood clots. Germany, France, the Netherlands and Canada have restricted the vaccine's use only to older people, that is, halted its use for people under the age of 60.
The UK regulator said that the 30 reports of thrombosis were submitted by medics or members of the public via a government website, out of which 22 cases were of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, a rare condition when a blood clot forms in the brain while eight other cases reported thrombosis and low levels of blood platelets, which help blood clot.
It added that no reports of blood clots from the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine have been reported so far, however, "our thorough review into these reports is ongoing." According to the website, the current data suggests that benefits of the vaccines against COVID-19 "continue to outweigh any risks."
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) had said that the AstraZeneca vaccine was safe. Similarly, AstraZeneca said last month following US efficiency trials that its vaccine is 79 percent effective and does not increase the risk of blood clots. The EMA is expected to announce updated advice on the issue on April 7.
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