Niac advises AstraZeneca should not be administered to under-60s over rare blood clot fears

The National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) is due to issue guidance on what age groups should be given the AstraZeneca vaccine following blood clot concerns in younger people.

Former Eastern Bloc is home to almost a quarter of the EU’s 440m population and is struggling to tame the pandemic

With public health nurse visits curtailed by Covid, less than half of our infants had their development health screening on time

But they warn the picture could change rapidly due to the Easter weekend, with the impact of that holiday likely to hit in a week to ten days

Unusual blood clots with low platelets should be considered as rare side-effects of the vaccine, European officials have said

Health Products Regulatory Authority confirmed16 blood clotting incidents had been reported in connection with the AstraZeneca vaccine to date but that none were of the 'rare' brain type

With concerns growing in Northern Ireland about the slow rollout of vaccines here, the republic could stand to benefit from the UK's surplus stock

AstraZeneca says its vaccine has 76% efficacy against symptomatic Covid-19, after the firm updated analysis of the third phase of testing.

The Taoiseach's stance on opposing the move to introduce any sort of restrictions on vaccine exports risks bringing us into conflict with European allies

Shares in AstraZeneca fell by about 1.5% after the US National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases indicated that promising US trial results may give an 'incomplete' view of the vaccine's efficacy

Results from a US trial of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine may have used “outdated information”, according to federal health officials in the country.

Some 32,449 people across all age groups took part in the phase three trial in the US, Chile and Peru, with a total of 141 cases of symptomatic Covid-19 reported

Deputy CMO says sorry, and adds that Thursday's comments were expressing gratitude for the public's compliance with Nphet guidance

All vaccines currently available offer excellent levels of protection and are safe vaccines – take whichever one you’re lucky enough to be offered, writes immunologist Dr Elizabeth Brint

European Union countries, by contrast, have struggled to quickly roll out vaccines, and the pause of the AstraZeneca shot by many this week only added to those troubles.

Clinical Lead of the Irish national audit of stroke, Professor Joe Harbison said it 'has to be emphasised' that the risk of stroke from catching Covid-19 is substantially higher than the risk of developing any problem with the vaccine

Germany is resuming vaccinations with the coronavirus vaccine made by AstraZeneca, following a recommendation by European regulators that the benefits of the jab outweigh the risks.

The suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine in several European countries over the past week could fuel scepticism about the shot far beyond their shores – potentially threatening the rollout of a vaccine that is key to the global strategy to stamp ...

France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands will all resume using the vaccine 

The rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Ireland will resume in the next few days, according to the HSE.

Daily case numbers not dropping as quickly as they were in February

Maresa Fagan speaks to Professor Mike Watts, a specialist in blood clots at University Hospital Limerick, about what we know so far

The five people were men aged 19 to 59 who experienced a clot together with low blood platelet count

There is optimism here that the EMA’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee will give the vaccine safety clearance following the review

The European Union’s chief executive has criticised AstraZeneca, accusing the embattled Anglo-Swedish firm of delaying Europe’s coronavirus vaccination campaign and warning that the EU is considering export bans to ensure supplies.

Health official warns against socialising on St Patrick's Day, while immunity expert explains why AstraZeneca jab was suspended

Ireland has temporarily suspended the AstraZeneca vaccine while reviews are done into a small number of blood clotting incidents in vaccinated people in other countries.

No new Covid-19-related deaths were reported by health officials this evening

Ireland has temporarily paused administration of doses after reports of people suffering blood clots in Europe

Around 20,000 people with serious underlying conditions and a further 10,000 frontline healthcare workers had been due get an AstraZeneca vaccination in the coming days, however, this will not now happen

The NIAC have temporarily suspended the use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine - but why did this happen and who does it affect?

Dr Ronan Glynn said that what was particularly striking is that the blood clots were occurring in younger people aged in their 30s-40s

Thailand has delayed use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine after several European countries temporarily suspended the jabs following reports of blood clots in some people.

Paul Reid told a briefing he didn't know how many AstraZeneca doses would be delivered next week

Germany’s independent vaccine committee has formally approved giving the AstraZeneca jab to people aged 65 and over, the country’s health minister has said.

The study, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, included more than 7.5 million people aged 70 and over in England

The announcement came as the company reported pre-tax profits of $3.92bn (€3.23bn) for 2020

“Looking at the data that’s in front of us, we need the epidemiological situation to improve and continue to improve," said the Deputy CMO

The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine offers only limited protection against mild disease caused by the South African variant of coronavirus, according to research.

All elderly patients will be invited individually to their appointments, and do not need to book slots

The Government has decided to only vaccinate those in the vulnerable over-70s group with Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines after being advised that AstraZeneca could be less effective in older people

While recent evidence shows the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are more beneficial to those over 70, infectious disease expert Prof Karina Butler says they will not be ruling out the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine on this age category

There is a brief moment in the scene-setting stage of that 1964 cinema epic Zulu when 150 British soldiers defending Rorke's Drift station against 4,000 local warriors felt a frisson of hope.