FRIDAY, April 2, 2021 (HealthDay News) — British regulators say they have identified 30 cases of rare blood clots in people who have received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, and Australia says it is investigating a possible link between the vaccine and clotting in a man who recently received the shot.
On Thursday, Britain’s medical regulatory agency said that in the period ending March 24, it had received 30 reports of clotting events after people were vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is 25 percent more than previously reported, according to The Washington Post. However, the British agency noted that those 30 cases were out of more than 18 million administered AstraZeneca doses and that on “the basis of this ongoing review, the benefits of the vaccines against COVID-19 continue to outweigh any risks.”
Meanwhile, Australia’s chief medical officer said Friday that health officials were taking “very seriously” a report of a 44-year-old man who was admitted to the hospital with low platelets and possible clotting days after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine. Australian media reported that the nation’s Therapeutic Goods Administration planned to meet Saturday to determine if there is a link between the man’s health issues and the vaccine, The Post said.
These are just the latest concerns about the AstraZeneca vaccine, including reports that it may have caused dozens of blood clots among tens of millions of doses given in Europe. The European Medicines Agency is investigating 14 deaths that occurred after people received the vaccine, and Germany’s vaccine expert panel on Thursday updated its guidance on the vaccine days after officials said it should not be given to people younger than 60 years, The Post reported.
Despite these issues, the European Union drug regulator and the World Health Organization say the vaccine is safe.
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