Britain advises alternative to Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for under-30s

LONDON - Britain should give an alternative to Oxford/AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine to under 30s where possible due to a "vanishingly" rare side effect of blood clots in the brain, Britain's vaccine advisory committee said on Wednesday.

Officials said the benefits of the shot continued to outweigh its risks for the vast majority, after safety concerns spurred over a dozen countries in recent weeks to suspend use of the vaccine following reports linking it to a brain blood clotting disorder. Britain has kept using the shot throughout. Wei Shen Lim, chair of Britain's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said that based on the available data and evidence, it was preferable for adults aged under 30 with no underlying conditions to be offered an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine where available.