Officials at NHS Dumfries and Galloway have offered reassurances about vaccine safety following events in Europe this week and concerns raised in some countries about potential effects of the Oxford AstraZeneca jab.
Responding, a health board spokesman said: “We are aware that some countries have paused their AstraZeneca vaccine delivery. In the UK, the decision to suspend the use of any vaccine is a matter of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The MHRA has confirmed that there is no current evidence of an increase in blood clots being caused by the vaccine. The MHRA is continuing to monitor this carefully, and is in regular contact with other regulators.
“There is, however, significant and growing evidence of the benefits of vaccination in reducing death, illness and we hope, transmission. “The vaccination programme continues to make very good progress. For all these reasons, we continue to urge people to come forward for vaccination when invited to do so.”
