UK medicines regulator MRHA will today give an update on its investigation into whether the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is directly causing rare brain blood clots. The live briefing is being hosted by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.
Regulators in both the UK and Europe are today due to give updates on their investigations into whether the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is linked to rare brain blood clots.
Some European countries have restricted vaccine use in younger people following reports of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST).
CVST are a specific type of clot which prevents blood from draining from the brain, as well as low platelet counts – cells that help blood clot.
On Tuesday, it was announced that the trial of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine in children has been paused while UK regulator MHRA investigates the CVST reports.
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What time is AstraZeneca announcement today?
Today’s live briefing will be led by Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, MHRA chief executive Dr June Raine, chair of the Committee of Human Medicines Sir Munir Pirmohamed and chair of the JCVI Professor Wei Shen.
The announcement will take place at 3pm BST.
According to the most recent MHRA update, 30 cases of CVST and seven deaths were reported in the UK among more than 18.1 million people receiving the jab.
There have also been reports of CVST cases in Germany and cases of blood clot clusters in Norway, the Netherlands and Denmark but experts say these incidents are rare.
Source: Daily Express
