London, April 8, 2021 (AltAfrica)-Blood clots are a potentially life-threatening complication so the fears linking the AstraZeneca vaccine to blood clots in people are well founded. Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain (GMB) this morning, Dr Amir Khan shared the tell-tale signs of blood clot to look for following vaccination.

The UK’s Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine trial in children has been halted amid fears the vaccine causes blood clotting in younger people. Naturally, many people receiving the vaccine will be on high alert.

Speaking on GMB this morning, Dr Amir Khan shared the warning signs of blood clots. As he explained, the threshold for concern is if symptoms persist for more than four days.

‘It depends on where the clot is, so if it’s that very rare one that’s in your brain, the signs are a headache that persists beyond four days of the vaccine and blurred vision,’ he told the programme

‘If it’s in your lungs, you could get shortness of breath and perhaps even chest pains. If it’s in your leg or arm, you could get swelling or redness around that area. ‘And it’s very rare but a clot in your tummy, you could get a swollen tummy and increased abdominal pain.

So if you get any of those symptoms beyond four days of the vaccine, you should seek medical help.’

The health expert also emphasised that the risk of clots is ‘incredibly low’ – stating that there are side effects from any vaccine. ‘

At the same time, it’s important to know that after any vaccines, including these ones, it’s very common to get side effects such as sore arms, sore muscles, headaches,’ he continued. ‘It’s only if it persists beyond four days, you should contact your GP. ‘

The risk of clots from the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine remain incredibly low.’

Up to March 31, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the UK has received 79 reports of blood clots accompanied by low blood platelet count, all in people who had their first dose of the vaccine, out of around 20 million doses given.

Of these 79, a total of 19 people have died, although it has not been established what the cause was in every case.

The 79 cases occurred in 51 women and 28 men, aged from 18 to 79. Of the 19 who died, three were under the age of 30, the MHRA said.

Some 14 cases of the 19 were cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), a specific type of clot that prevents blood from draining from the brain.

The other five cases were other kinds of thrombosis in major veins.

The figures suggest the risk of rare blood clot is the equivalent to four people out of every million who receive the vaccine.

According to the European Medicines Agency (EMA), analysis of the jab concluded that most of the incidents of blood clotting occurred in women under 60 within two weeks of vaccination with the AstraZeneca product.

They said no specific risk factors have been identified based on current evidence.