The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine should not be offered to under-30s in the UK.
People under 30 in the UK should not be given the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine due to "extremely rare" blood clot side effects.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said under-30s should instead be offered the Pfizer or Moderna jabs.
It follows an investigation by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) into whether the jab is directly causing rare brain blood clots.
The MHRA said that while the benefits of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine continue to outweigh any risks for "the vast majority of people", there have been an "extremely small" number of blood clots.
According to the most recent MHRA data as of 31 March, there were 79 blood-clotting cases, alongside low levels of platelets, among more than 20 million Oxford/AstraZeneca doses administered. Of these, 19 people have died, 11 of whom were under 50 and three under 30.
Speaking at a televised briefing on Wednesday, Dr June Raine, chief executive of the MHRA, made a point of reiterating: "This is extremely rare."
Dr Raine also said "more work is needed to establish beyond all doubt that the vaccine has caused these side effects".
Prof Wei Shen Lim, chair of the JCVI, said the recommendation to offer alternative vaccines to under-30s was “out of the utmost caution” rather than because of “any serious safety concerns”.
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