Covid vaccine: UK under-30s offered alternative to AstraZeneca jab

Healthy adults aged under 30 in the UK will be offered an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine, after evidence suggesting it could be linked to a very rare form of blood clot. Regulators say there’s still no proof of a link, but out of more than 20 million doses already given in the UK, 79 people have suffered the clots – and 19 have sadly died.

Officials have stressed that the huge benefits of taking the vaccine still far outweigh the risk of side effects for the vast majority of people – saying the jab is “safe, effective, and has saved thousands of lives”.