Five cases of ‘rare’ blood clot after AstraZeneca jab in UK – but no causal link found

(Danny Lawson/PA)

The UK has received five reports of a specific brain blood clot in people who had had the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, though no causal link has been made with the jab, the medicines regulator has said.

The five people were men aged 19 to 59 who experienced a clot together with low blood platelet count. One of the five has since died.

The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it was looking at the reports but stressed the events were “extremely rare” and there was a possibility they could have been caused by Covid itself.

It said the cases represented a less than one in a million chance of suffering this type of clot, while the risk of dying from Covid aged 40 to 49 was one in 1,000.

The type of clot – cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) – prevents blood from draining out of the brain.

Earlier today, a senior director for the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine “far outweigh the risks”.

Dr Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said it was “routine to signal adverse events” but reiterated that people should “have confidence” in the protection given by vaccines.

“The Covid-19 vaccination will not reduce death or illness from other causes,” Dr Kluge told a press briefing on Thursday.

“As of now we do not know whether some or all of the conditions have been caused by the vaccine or by other coincidental factors.

“At this point in time, the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine far outweigh its risk and its use should continue to save lives.”