Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid jab safe, insists Hancock

Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid jab safe, insists Hancock

The Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine is safe, the health secretary has said, after some European nations paused its use amid concern over blood clots.

Matt Hancock urged people to "listen to the regulators" and to "get the jab" as soon as they got the opportunity.

Some 13 countries have suspended use of the vaccine while they seek further clarification on its safety.

But the UK's medicines watchdog, the MHRA, has said that evidence "does not suggest" the jab causes clots.

The EU's regulator, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), is expected to release the findings of its investigation into cases of blood clots in vaccinated people on Thursday.

However, it said previously that it was still "firmly convinced" the benefits of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine outweighed the risks and there was "no indication" the jab causes blood clots.

About 17 million people across the EU and the UK have received a dose of the vaccine, with fewer than 40 cases of blood clots reported as of last week, the manufacturer AstraZeneca said.

It said the number of cases of blood clots reported was lower than the hundreds of cases that would be expected among the general population.

In a bid to reassure the British public, Mr Hancock stressed that the MHRA, the World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency all believed the vaccine was safe.

"We keep the effects of these vaccines under review all the time and we know that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is saving lives in the UK right now so if you get the call, get the jab," he said.

Asked if there had been evidence of people declining the jab after the European suspensions, the health secretary said there were still "huge numbers of people vaccinated every day" and that "enthusiasm for getting the vaccine is incredibly strong".


Downing Street has also defended the safety of the vaccine, with the PM's official spokesman insisting that Boris Johnson would be happy to take it when it came to his turn.

Meanwhile, the Duchess of Cornwall revealed on Tuesday that she had received the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab earlier this year.

Speaking during a visit to a pop-up vaccination centre in London with the Prince of Wales, Camilla joked that it "didn't matter" which jab she was given because "I hate injections so much".

The Duchess of Cornwall revealed she received the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab during a visit to a vaccination centre on Tuesday
It was announced in mid-February that Prince Charles, 72, and the duchess, 73, had received their first Covid jabs. Their ages meant they were included in the fourth priority group for the rollout of the vaccine.

The latest government figures show that 24,839,906 first doses of a Covid vaccine have now been given in the UK, with some 1,663,646 people receiving a second dose.

Countries across Europe are seeking further clarity on the jab's safety, amid criticism of their decision to suspend its use.

Denmark was first to pause its use of the vaccine, followed by Norway and Iceland. Germany, France, Italy, Cyprus, Spain, Latvia and Sweden are the latest to follow suit.

Germany, France and Italy have said they are awaiting the outcome of the EMA investigation.

They said they had opted to pause their use of the drug as a "precautionary measure".

Other countries, including Austria, have halted the use of certain batches of the jab, while Belgium, Poland, the Czech Republic and Ukraine said they would continue to administer it.

Dr Phil Bryan, vaccines safety lead at the MHRA, said that people "should still go and get their Covid-19 vaccine when asked to do so".

"We are closely reviewing reports but given the large number of doses administered, and the frequency at which blood clots can occur naturally, the evidence available does not suggest the vaccine is the cause."

The WHO, which is also investigating the reports, says there is no evidence that the clots were linked to the vaccine and it has urged countries not to pause their vaccination programmes.

Prof Jeremy Brown, a member of the UK government's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said concerns about blood clots were "overblown" as they were unlikely to be linked to the jab.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme pausing its use would cause more illness and deaths than would be prevented "by the unlikely situation that there's an increased risk of a very rare event occurring as a consequence of the vaccine".

Sir Kent Woods, former chief executive of the MHRA and former chair of the EMA, told BBC Breakfast there would have been a "denting of public confidence because of the disorderly situation in Europe" and by suspending the use of the jab countries were "increasing the risk to the population".

Dr Jess Harvey, a GP in Shropshire, said she had received several calls from patients concerned about the possibility of blood clots linked to the vaccine.

She said she had not had any appointments cancelled yet but was worried about no-shows.

Meanwhile, Public Health England said on Tuesday that it was investigating a new coronavirus variant previously reported by the Philippines, after two cases were identified in England.

It said one case was linked with international travel, while the other was still under investigation.

PHE also said that two cases of the P.1 variant of concern first found in Brazil had been identified in England - with one in the West Midlands and another in Haringey, London.

This variant has a mutation - known as E484 - that means it can escape some of the immune response, which may mean vaccines work less effectively against it.

Both cases were linked with international travel to Brazil, PHE said, and bring the total number of UK cases of the variant to 12.


Health Secretary Matt Hancock: "If you get the call, get the jab"


Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
×