May 7, 2021 11.56 am This story is over 14 months old

Under 40s to get AstraZeneca alternative COVID vaccine due to blood clot fears

There have been 242 reports of rare blood clots from the jab
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

All people under the age of 40 will be offered an alternative COVID-19 vaccination to the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab after fears that young people could get rare blood clots.

The move is a precautionary one after evidence of young people suffering from blood clots once they were given the AstraZeneca jab increased.

In the UK, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency received 242 reports of blood clots up to April 28, all from people who had been given the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Around 28.5 million doses of the jab have been given, and the MHRA insist that the vaccine “outweighs the risks for the vast majority of adults”.

However, the balance is believed to be harder to judge among young and healthy people as yet.

The MHRA has already advised that under-30s are offered the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine instead, but this cohort is expected to rise to under 40s.

A government source is insisting that this change will not affect the UK’s vaccination rollout progression, according to The Independent.

The latest figures show that some 443,360 Lincolnshire residents have received their first vaccine dose (70%) and 191,346 have been given their second (30%).

Of those over the age of 45, a total of 365,828 have received their first vaccination and another 168,943 have had their second.

Some 77,532 people aged under 45 received their first dose, with a further 22,403 receiving a second jab so far. This includes those aged between 16 to 64 who are clinically vulnerable and at more risk of serious symptoms of coronavirus.

Office for National Statistics estimates put the total adult (16+) Lincolnshire population at 629,926, meaning that around 70.38% of residents have now received their first jab and 30.37% their second.

In North Lincolnshire, a total of 143,459 (47,259 second doses) vaccines have been distributed and 117,722 (33,302 second doses) have received a jab in North East Lincolnshire.

The mass COVID-19 vaccination centre at Lincolnshire Showground hit a huge milestone recently, having reached an incredible 50,000 vaccinations so far.