COVID-19 Updates | EU, UK, US The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, recently renamed Vaxzevria, made headlines this week in Europe, due to rising concerns over the links with its use and the development of blood clots. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) again reviewed the data on the reported cases and published another opinion on 7 April 2021, confirming there is a potential link with “very rare cases of unusual blood clots with low blood platelets”. While the EMA’s safety committee recognized that some of the blood clots cases are linked to the vaccine, it stressed, “[T]he overall benefits of the vaccine in preventing COVID-19 outweigh the risks of side effects”. The EMA confirmed that unusual blood clots should be listed as a very rare side effect, but considering the benefits of the vaccine overall, it remains approved in the EU for people above 18 years old.