UK: AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine trial on children halted amid reports of blood clots

A UK trial of the AstraZeneca vaccine on children was halted amid fears of links to a rare blood clot, Oxford University said.

While the researchers insist there are “no safety concerns” in the trial, they said they would wait for additional data from the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) before resuming their work.

The trial pause follows a statement from the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday that the “risk-benefit” balance for AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine was still “largely” positive.

“There is no link for the moment between the vaccine and thrombotic events with thrombocytopenia,” said Rogerio Pinto de Sa Gaspar, the WHO’s director for regulation and pre-qualification.

Previously, an official from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) had claimed there was a “clear connection” between the AstraZeneca vaccine and rare blood clots.

However, EMA’s official position remains undecided - the agency said it was still reviewing data and had not reached any conclusion.