London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 15, 2025

UK Reassures On AstraZeneca After Advising Under-30s Take Other Vaccines

UK Reassures On AstraZeneca After Advising Under-30s Take Other Vaccines

Officials said the suggestion that under-30s should be offered an alternative did not reflect any serious safety concerns, just a "vanishingly" rare possible side effect.

British officials and ministers sought to shore up confidence in AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday, saying advice that most people under 30 should be offered alternative shots was not unusual and would not impact the pace of rollout.

A pharmacist whose brother died from a brain blood clot linked to the AstraZeneca shot was among those calling for people to keep getting it, saying the doses would save lives.

Officials said the suggestion that under-30s should be offered an alternative did not reflect any serious safety concerns, just a "vanishingly" rare possible side effect.

Anthony Harnden, Deputy Chairman of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) which issued the new advice, said such suggestions were not unusual, pointing out that people of different ages already got different flu shots in Britain.

"This isn't unusual. So this is not undermining what the regulators are saying. The regulators are saying this vaccine is suitable for all age groups but it's up to the individual countries to decide how best to deploy those vaccines," he told Reuters in an interview.

While Britain's MHRA medicine regulator did not place age restrictions on the use of the AstraZeneca shot, some saw the JCVI's advice about under-30s, made in the same briefing, as mixed messaging.

Conservative lawmaker Iain Duncan Smith said the announcement was "ridiculous" and that there was "the dangerous potential" that people would refuse to have AstraZeneca's shot.

Health minister Matt Hancock defended the move, saying the transparency over possible side effects, even very rare ones, should bolster confidence in the system.

Britain has continued to use its homegrown AstraZeneca vaccine since it became the first country to start rolling it out at the start of January. Some countries in Europe, including France, restricted its use in older people initially, citing a lack of data, and are now limiting its use in older people.

Harnden said Wednesday's announcement had not been taken lightly and it had been right to keep using the shot, even if the advice was now changing.

"Stopping and starting and changing vaccination programmes is not an easy thing to do, and if you do it, it runs the danger of losing confidence in that programme," he said.

Still on track


Britain is leaning on AstraZeneca for a large portion of its vaccine supply, with 100 million doses ordered.

But it has also has been rolling out vaccines made by Pfizer, since December, and Moderna since Wednesday. Shots made by Johnson & Johnson and Novavax are also pending regulatory approval in the coming months.

Hancock said that with 40 million Pfizer and 17 million Moderna vaccines ordered, there was more than enough shots to cover the 8.5 million people under-30s who needed to be vaccinated. Healthy under-30s are in the last priority cohort to be vaccinated, with most not eligible until the summer.

"We feel that we've got enough vaccine supply to be able to offer (an) alternative vaccine, without delaying the progress of our immunisations," JCVI's Harnden said, adding Britain was on track to give a first shot of vaccine to all adults by the end of July.

"It may slip by a week or two, but no more than that," he said.

The advice did not change for under-30s who have underlying conditions and are eligible for shots now, meaning only very few people who are due to have a shot in the coming days will be affected by the advice change.

Alison Astles, a pharmacist whose 59-year-old brother died of a blood clot on the brain on Sunday, encouraged people to still get their AstraZeneca shots even though it was "very strongly suggested" his death was due to the shot.

"The sister in me still feels absolutely furious and very angry that this has happened to my brother... But despite what has happened to Neil, and the impact on our family, I still strongly believe that people should go ahead and have the vaccine," she said.

"Overall, we will save more lives by people having the vaccine than not."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
×