Healthy adults aged under 30 in the UK will be offered an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine, after evidence suggesting it could be linked to a very rare form of blood clot. Regulators say there’s still no proof of a link, but out of more than 20 million doses already given in the UK, 79 people have suffered the clots – and 19 have sadly died.
Officials have stressed that the huge benefits of taking the vaccine still far outweigh the risk of side effects for the vast majority of people – saying the jab is “safe, effective, and has saved thousands of lives”.