A senior official in the European Medicines Agency has said there is a link between the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine and blood clots.

“In my opinion, we can say it now, it is clear there is a link with the vaccine. But we still do not know what causes this reaction,” EMA head of vaccines Marco Cavaleri told Italy’s Il Messaggero newspaper.

He said that “in the next few hours, we will say that there is a connection, but we still have to understand how this happens”.

After several countries, including Ireland, paused the use of the vaccine, the EMA said that the benefits outweigh the risks and it should remain in use.

But it has said that a causal link between clots and the vaccine is possible and is expected to provide an updated assessment this week.

“We are trying to get a precise picture of what is happening, to define in detail this syndrome due to the vaccine,” Mr Cavaleri said.

He added: “Among the vaccinated, there are more cases of cerebral thrombosis … among young people than we would expect.”

His comments come as UK regulators are also examining potential links between the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and rare blood clots.

Reports suggest that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is considering proposals to restrict the use of the vaccine in younger people.

If confirmed, the roll-out of the UK’s vaccination programme could be slowed significantly as more than a fifth of its vaccine supply is tied up in the AstraZeneca jab.

source rte.ie