AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine

(17.03.21)

Both the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare productions Regulatory Agency) and WHO (World Health Organisation) have said that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe.

There is no evidence that the vaccine increases the chances of having clots compared with the risk in the general population.  The vaccine protects against severe disease or death from Covid-19 and doctors recommend that patients should continue to have the AstraZeneca vaccine when offered. 

There is no guarantee that we will get other vaccines for first doses at this stage. Therefore we would encourage patients to take up any appointment that they are offered to reduce the risk of being infected by Covid-19.  

Dr Phil Bryan, MHRA Vaccines Safety Lead said:

“The benefits of the vaccine in preventing COVID-19, with its associated risk of hospitalisation and death, far outweigh the risks of side effects. People should go and get their COVID-19 vaccine when asked to do so”

“It is still the case that it has not been confirmed the reported blood clots were caused by the COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca. Blood clots can occur naturally and are not uncommon.”

“Our role is to continually monitor safety during widespread use of a vaccine. We have in place a proactive strategy to do this. We also work closely with our public health and international partners in reviewing the effectiveness and impact of the vaccines to ensure the benefits continue to outweigh any possible side effects.”

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mhra-response-to-irish-authorities-action-to-temporarily-suspend-the-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine