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UK to offer under-40s alternative to AstraZeneca shot

AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine
Posted at 8:11 AM, May 07, 2021
and last updated 2021-05-07 09:11:53-04

LONDON (AP) — People under 40 in Britain will not be given the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine if another shot is available because of a link to extremely rare blood clots.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization said people under 40 without underlying health conditions should receive an alternative vaccine if its does not cause substantial delays in being vaccinated.

The government says the change will not affect its goal of giving all U.K. adults at least one vaccine dose by July.

Several countries in Europe have chosen only to use the AstraZeneca vaccine on older people because of a link to a type of very rare blood clot.

Two-thirds of U.K. adults have received at least one shot of vaccine and most have been AstraZeneca.