Belfast GP: Young people 'three times more likely' to die in car crash than develop vaccine related blood clot
NI doctor responds after Astrazeneca jab restricted to over 60s in Ireland
A leading doctor here says young people are around three times more likely to die in a car accident than from a vaccine related side effect.
Dr Michael McKenna was speaking to Downtown Cool FM amid fears over a potential link of blood clots and Coronavirus vaccines.
Earlier this week Ireland restricted the use of the Astrazeneca jab to the over 60s and most vaccination clinics have been cancelled there this week.
Health Chiefs in Northern Ireland maintain the 'benefits outweigh the risks' and the rollout here continues.
In a statement a spokesperson for the Department of Health said: "The COVID-19 vaccination programme in NI will continue to be informed by the expert independent advice and recommendations of the MHRA and JCVI.
"This expert, independent advice is clear – the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine far outweigh any potential risk for the vast majority of adults.
"The NI position remains as detailed in the statements issued last week."
On Tuesday it emerged the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is being delayed in Europe, after US regulators said they are looking into a handful of cases of rare blood clots.
Six cases have been registered among the nearly 7 million people who have had the jab.
Dr Michael McKenna says all the risks should be weighed up:
"People get sick, they get ill and sometimes it's in the context of them having recently received the vaccine, so all of these things have to be taken into consideration and it's important not to try and conflate the two things together.
"Young people are about three times the risk of dying in a car accident as they are from a vaccine-related side effect.
"And contraception has about eight times the risk of developing a clot compared to the Astrazeneca vaccine and it's link is proven."