A senior official at the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has said there is a link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and extremely rare cases of blood clots reported in people who had recently had the jab.
In an interview with Italy’s Il Messaggero newspaper, Marco Cavaleri, head of vaccines strategy at the EMA, said it was “clear there is a link with the vaccine” but there was still uncertainty about what exactly was causing such a reaction.
Mr Cavaleri said that among younger vaccinated people there was a higher than expected number of cases of cerebral thrombosis – blood clotting in the brain – compared with the general population.
He suggested that the EMA would make a statement on the situation later on Monday. The Independent contacted the EMA for comment.
The EMA has insisted as recently as last week that the “causal link with the vaccine is not proven” and continues to recommend people take the opportunity to get vaccinated when it is offered.
“EMA is of the view that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing Covid-19, with its associated risk of hospitalisation and death, outweigh the risks of side effects,” the agency said in a statement released on 31 March.
The Independent
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