British Under-30s Offered Alternate Vaccine Over Clotting Concerns

In the wake of blood clotting concerns, people aged 18-29 in Britain will be offered an alternative vaccine to the AstraZeneca vaccine. Australian authorities will have to consider whether they will follow the same directive.

The decision was announced by the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency on Wednesday, as evidence of a link between a rare clotting disorder and the vaccine grows stronger. Currently, the risk of these rare blood clots has been estimated to be approximately 4 in a million – primarily in women under 60. This is extremely low, but given that younger people are also much less likely to die from COVID-19, the agency has decided it is better to offer an alternate vaccine to this age group.

Australia is currently dependent on overseas supplies for vaccines excluding the AstraZeneca vaccine. Given the EU’s ability to block supply, and our lack of mRNA vaccine manufacturers, this would make it difficult for us to follow through on a similar decision.

The CPAP Clinic is a leading Australian provider of Respiratory, Sleep Disorders, Cardiology and PPE services and products. Based in Sydney, it has a network of 40 clinics nationwide.