Vaccine confidence fears as under-30s in UK offered AstraZeneca alternative

Experts warn of impact after advice changes in response to 79 blood clot cases out of 20m vaccinations

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Experts warned of damage to confidence in the UK's vaccine programme after 10 million adults under 30 were told they will be offered an alternative to the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab following concerns over rare blood clots.

Healthy 18- to 29-year-olds who are not at high risk of Covid should have the option of a different jab if one is available in their area, the government's joint committee on vaccines and immunisation (JCVI) said, weeks after some European countries suspended the use of Oxford/AstraZeneca jabs in younger people.