British ministers and officials did not deny that more than 700,000 shots of the AstraZeneca vaccine were secretly dispatched from the UK to Australia a few weeks ago as the EU blocked the drug’s export.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that 717,000 AstraZeneca doses were dispatched in late February and March from the company’s British operations – also during a period when the EU was demanding the vaccine from the UK.
When asked about the report, Downing Street said: “Producing vaccines is an international endeavour and the UK is proud to be playing a leading role in the global effort to develop and distribute the coronavirus vaccine.”
A UK government spokesperson added: “The details of any commercial vaccine supply agreements between national governments and AstraZeneca are commercially sensitive and a matter for those two parties.”
The Herald said there had been two large shipments from the UK, first of 300,000 on 28 February with another following a few days after the EU formally blocked the export of 250,000 AstraZeneca jabs on 4 March.
Matt Hancock, the UK health secretary, also did not deny AstraZeneca vaccines had been exported when asked by Sky News.
“In terms of what the companies do, these companies are manufacturing for all around the world and we source from everywhere in the world. So what I’m in control of, what matters for us as the UK government, is making sure that we get the supplies that we have got contracted from the companies,” he said.
The volume of doses – 717,000 – would be enough to cover 1% of the UK population, which has recorded 126,927 deaths from the pandemic. The virus is also widespread across the EU, where cases have remained relatively high this year.
By contrast, in Australia there is no community transmission of the virus. The country has recorded 909 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
What are the potential side-effects from Covid vaccines?
All medications including vaccines have some side-effects. The most common with the Covid jabs are mild and short-lived, including localised soreness, fatigue or aches and headaches.
However the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab has been linked to a small but concerning number of reports of blood clots combined with low platelet counts (platelets are cell fragments in our blood that help it to clot).
These include a rare clot in the brain called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). In an unvaccinated population, upper estimates suggest there may be 15 to 16 cases per million people per year. But also highly uncommon is the combination of CVST or other rare clots with low platelets, and sometimes unusual antibodies – and that combination is at the centre of current concerns.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said recipients of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab should look out for new headaches, blurred vision, confusion or seizures that occur four days or more after vaccination.
The MHRA also flagged shortness of breath, chest pain, abdominal pain, leg swelling and unusual skin bruising as reasons to seek medical advice.
How many cases have there been?
Up to and including 31 March, the MHRA said it received 79 reports of cases of blood clots combined with low platelets, including 19 deaths, following more than 20m doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab. That equates to about four cases for every million vaccinated individuals.
The MHRA says blood clots combined with low platelets can occur naturally in unvaccinated people as well as in those who have caught Covid, and that while evidence of a link with the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine has become stronger, more research is needed.
How may the vaccine cause these problems?
At present the mechanism by which the jab could cause clotting problems remains unclear. But experts have noticed a similarity to a clotting event sometimes seen among people given the blood-thinning drug heparin, whereby antibodies are generated that result in platelets becoming activated.
What is the current official recommendation?
The MHRA, along with the EMA and the World Health Organization (WHO), have all repeatedly said people should continue taking the Oxford/AstraZeneca shot because its benefits in preventing Covid infection far outweigh any risks.
The UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said it was recommending that people aged 18-29 should be offered other Covid vaccines – if available – provided they are healthy and at low risk of Covid.
Pregnant women should discuss with their doctors whether to have the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab as pregnancy can increase the risk of blood clots, the MHRA said.
Does the contraceptive pill increase women’s risk of blood clots more than the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab?
Combined hormonal contraceptives, which contain oestrogen, have been associated with an increased risk of blood clots including CVST, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.
According to an EMA review in 2014, the risk of blood clots ranged from five to 12 cases per 10,000 women who take combined hormonal contraceptives for a year, compared with two cases each year per 10,000 women who are not using such contraceptives.
Should you have a second dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab?
The vast majority of people who had a first dose of the jab, including under-30s, should get their second dose, with some exceptions.
“Anyone who experienced cerebral or other major blood clots occurring with low levels of platelets after their first vaccine dose of Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca should not have their second dose,” the MHRA said. “Anyone who did not have these side-effects should come forward for their second dose when invited.”
Nicola Davis Science correspondent and Jon Henley Europe correspondent
Britain has refused repeated EU demands that it export some of the AstraZeneca vaccine made in the UK as the company’s plants on the continent of Europe have struggled to meet promised levels of production.
In response, Brussels has threatened to block exports of the Pfizer vaccine to the UK. No exports have been blocked from the EU to its neighbour but relations between the two over the issue remain tense.
Australia had ordered 3.8m doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from overseas, and it had been thought the more than 700,000 that had arrived in the country had come from the EU. But the reports suggest this was not the case.
This week Scott Morrison, the Australian prime minister, said he had asked AstraZeneca to resubmit its export application and his government accused the EU of “arguing semantics” when it said it had only blocked the export of 250,000 doses.
Australia argues that AstraZeneca did not submit an export licence for more doses because the company knew it would be rejected. The EU said the shipment had been blocked because AstraZeneca was “not meeting its obligations in the EU”.
Italy had successfully objected to the export, arguing that Australia was “not vulnerable” because of its very low number of coronavirus cases – leaving Canberra apparently turning to the UK for its vaccination programme.
Separately, Australia announced people under 50 would now be recommended to take the Pfizer vaccine, following findings of the British and European regulators over concerns about the AstraZeneca vaccine causing blood clots.
AstraZeneca declined to comment on the reports.
