The UK’s Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine trial in children has been halted amid fears the vaccine causes blood clotting in younger people. Naturally, many people receiving the vaccine will be on high alert. Speaking on GMB this morning, Dr Amir Khan shared the warning signs of blood clots. As he explained, the threshold for concern is if symptoms persist for more than four days.
Experiencing symptoms before this time may be attributable to common vaccine effects, he explained.
However, if you experience a headache for more than four days, this may spell the warning sign of a blood clot, Dr Khan said.
Likewise, experiencing blurred vision and nausea for more than four days could also signal blood clots, he warned.
Other blood clot symptoms include:
- Throbbing or cramping pain, swelling, redness and warmth in a leg or arm
- Sudden breathlessness, sharp chest pain (may be worse when you breathe in) and a cough or coughing up blood.
READ MORE: AstraZeneca Covid vaccine: Are children at risk of blood clots as child jabs trial halted?
Data released by the UK’s drug authority (MHRA) on Friday showed 22 cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) which is a type of blood clot in the brain.
These were accompanied by low levels of platelets, which help form blood clots, in the body.
The MHRA also found other clotting problems alongside low platelet levels in eight people.
The UK’s regulatory body urges people to still get their vaccination when called to do so.
Dr June Raine, the chief executive of the MHRA, said: “The benefits… in preventing COVID-19 infection and its complications continue to outweigh any risks and the public should continue to get their vaccine when invited to do so.”
Investigations are under way to determine if the AstraZeneca vaccine is causing the very rare blood clots.
Earlier this week the European Medicines Agency said it was “not proven, but is possible”.
Am I eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine?
The NHS is currently offering the COVID-19 vaccine to people most at risk from coronavirus.
In England, the vaccine is being offered in some hospitals and pharmacies, at local centres run by GPs and at larger vaccination centres. More centres are opening all the time.
Everyone aged 50 and over can get the COVID-19 vaccine.
You can book appointments at a larger vaccination centre or pharmacy now, or wait to be invited to go to a local NHS service.
The order in which people will be offered the vaccine is based on advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).