YORK health leaders have reassured residents that the Oxford AstraZeneca Covid vaccine is safe.
Prof Stephen Eames, who chairs a regional health body, said he has had the vaccine himself and is confident of its safety.
Prof Mike Holmes, chair of Nimbuscare GP partnership, said the MHRA, the regulatory agency for the safety of medicines in the UK, says the vaccine is safe.
He said: "The issue that's been raised across the continent is the concern that they increase the risk of blood clots forming. These are a common condition that we see any time, not just during pandemics.
"We see people developing blood clots all the time and the key message is that, despite the 11 million vaccines [given in the UK] we've not seen an increase in the number of blood clots."
Sharon Stoltz, York public health director, said: "The AstraZeneca vaccine is safe to use. There isn't any reason why anybody should be anxious about it.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here