U.K. Sees 25 New Blood-Clot Cases From AstraZeneca Vaccine

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Apr 02 2021, 11:59 AMApr 02 2021, 2:42 PMApril 02 2021, 11:59 AMApril 02 2021, 2:42 PM

(Bloomberg) -- The U.K. government said there have been 25 new reports of rare types of blood clots linked to AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid-19 vaccine recently, adding to the numbers that have caused European countries to adopt precautionary measures.

The total number of cases as of March 24 is now 30, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said in a statement Thursday. There were no reports of the same reactions to the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine, the agency said.

AstraZeneca’s vaccine, developed with the University of Oxford, is under mounting scrutiny and has faced dwindling support in Europe. Still, countries are counting on the shot to help them exit the pandemic, and millions of doses have been administered across the region.

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The U.K. agency said that the 30 incidents were out of 18.1 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine given by that date. Prior to that, the agency disclosed five cases on March 18, out of 11 million shots.

“On the basis of this ongoing review, the benefits of the vaccines against COVID-19 continue to outweigh any risks and you should continue to get your vaccine when invited to do so,” it said. The AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines have shown “very high levels of protection” against Covid-19, the agency said, adding that “all vaccines and medicines have some side effects.”

Earlier this week, the European Union’s drugs regulator said a link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and a rare type of blood clot is possible, identifying at least 62 cases of the condition. The European Medicines Agency said its safety committee will probably issue an updated recommendation next week.

Germany has restricted younger people from taking the AstraZeneca vaccine amid growing concerns about side effects. That could slow Europe’s already lagging immunization program as virus cases surge anew.

On Friday, Australia reported one case of clotting disorders following inoculation with the AstraZeneca vaccine and is investigating, according to a joint statement by government agencies.