The UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) said today that it is recommending alternative vaccinations for people under the age of 40 if possible, following concerns about a small number of blood clots in the 2019 coronavirus disease vaccine, a collaboration between Astellas and Oxford University.
Reuters reports that the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) has relaxed the age range to include people between 30 and 39 years old for whom other brands of vaccines are recommended. Previously, the committee only recommended other vaccine options for people under the age of 30.
AstraZeneca’s 2019 coronavirus (CCLV) (COVID-19) vaccine (AZ vaccine) has been reported to have a rare side effect of low platelets after administration, which is more common in younger age groups, so several countries have recommended AZ vaccination for older people only.
JCVI said the recommendation reflects the low level of COVID-19 infection in the United Kingdom and the availability of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for vaccination in the United States.
With COVID-19 infection rates under control, we are recommending that adults aged 18 to 39 years without underlying health problems switch to other brands of vaccine in place of the Oxford-Astedilicon vaccine, provided that the vaccine is available without causing delays,” said JCVI Chairman Wei Shen Lim. “
Jonathan Van-Tam, the UK’s deputy chief medical officer, said today that plans to have all UK adults receive their first dose of the vaccine by the end of July would not be affected by the proposal.
In a press conference, Van-Tam said, “What I can say is that under the current plan, our vaccine supply timeline can support the changes proposed by JCVI and will not limit the pace or scale of administration of the vaccine.”
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