The Health Service Executive has appealed to health care workers to encourage patients, friends family and colleagues to take the AstraZeneca vaccine, saying the benefits of the vaccine continue to outweigh the risks.
In a video message circulated to staff this afternoon, HSE Chief Clinical Officer Dr Colm Henry noted that the National Immunisation Advisory Committee had recommended that the AstraZeneca vaccine should not be given to people aged under 60.
He said this recommendation took account of a report from the European Medicines Agency on rare but very serious blood clotting incidents.
The HSE had paused the administering of the vaccine due to the reports but have since resumed use of the vaccine. He said this was estimated to arise