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Doctor Explains Why You Shouldn’t Worry About Oxford/AstraZeneca Vaccine

Doctor Explains Why You Shouldn’t Worry About Oxford/AstraZeneca Vaccine

It comes after a number of European countries raised concerns over the vaccine

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers

A doctor has assured people that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is perfectly safe to get.

Dr Andrea Mazzella is a research doctor in Covid vaccine trials, working in the NHS, and regularly shares videos offering up his expertise and dispelling myths surrounding coronavirus and the vaccination programme.

In his latest video, he has assured his followers that despite concerns over the effects of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab, it is safe and he is set to get his second injection soon.

He says: "Have you had the AstraZeneca vaccine and are now worried about blood clots?

"A few people who had the vaccine later developed a blood clot and so some countries have decided to pause the vaccinations to investigate, so I completely understand if you are feeling worried about this.

"But let's remember: if A happens before B, it doesn't necessarily mean that A caused B.

TikTok/@drandream

"For example, if you move into a new flat and the next day the window breaks, it doesn't necessarily mean that you broke the window.

"The same with the AstraZeneca vaccine and clots; some countries have just decided that they want to investigate further.

"Blood clots in the legs or in the lungs are relatively common, actually, so this is likely just to be a coincidence.

"In the trials, people who were vaccinated did not develop clots more often than those who were not vaccinated."

He adds: "Personally, I've had my first AstraZeneca dose and I'm not worried. I'm actually going for my second dose next week."

This comes after Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Ireland, as well as other nations, announced that they would be halting the use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.

PA

According to Reuters, Dutch drug watchdog Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb said 10 cases of possible adverse side effects have been reported in the Netherlands.

Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said: "We can't allow any doubts about the vaccine.

"We have to make sure everything is right, so it is wise to pause for now."

AstraZeneca has said there was no evidence of an increased risk of clotting due to the vaccine, and that across the EU and the UK there have been a total of 15 events of deep-vein thrombosis (a blood clot in a vein) and 22 cases of pulmonary embolism (blood clots entering the lungs) reported among people vaccinated.

The pharmaceutical company said the figures were 'much lower than would be expected to occur naturally in a general population of this size and is similar across other licensed Covid-19 vaccines'.

Ann Taylor, Chief Medical Officer, added: "The nature of the pandemic has led to increased attention in individual cases and we are going beyond the standard practices for safety monitoring of licensed medicines in reporting vaccine events, to ensure public safety."

Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@drandream

Topics: covid, Science, Doctor, lockdown, Pandemic, vaccine, Coronavirus, NHS, Health, TikTok, Covid-19