The Health Protection Regulatory Authority (HPRA) has received a total of 29 reports of blood clotting events of all types among people who have received the Covid-19 vaccine, and a "small number" of serious clotting-type events combined with low platelets among people who received the AstraZeneca jab.
Of the cases combined with low platelets, of which there were less than five reported, the HPRA said most described clotting typically seen in the general population and also had risk factors for clotting, according to The Irish Times.
The regulator highlighted that similar types of blood clotting was observed with mRNA vaccines which were not combined with low blood platelets, with 41 such reports received.
From over 1.15 million vaccine doses administered in the State, the HPRA has received 6,616 reports of suspected side effects, the vast majority described as mild to moderate, adding the benefits of the vaccines continue to outweigh the risks.
Data update
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is due to publish updated data on the AstraZeneca vaccine, two weeks after it concluded that unusual blood clots were a rare side effect of the jab.
A similar matter has since arose in relation to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, with the Government awaiting the decision of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (Niac) on how the shot should be rolled out in Ireland.
The Government had been pushing for Niac to announce their decision this week in order to allow for delivered doses of the one-shot vaccine to be administered as soon as possible.
However, speaking at Thursday evening's press briefing, chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said he expects the committee to announce their decision early next week.
This came after Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said the Government’s target of vaccinating 80 per cent of people by the end of June would be “extremely difficult if not impossible” if the J&J vaccine is not approved for people under the age of 60.
Mr Varadkar said if Niac advises against the use of the vaccine in people under 60 in Ireland it would knock 600,000 doses “off the plan”.
