The British government and health experts in the country have rushed to defend the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford following concerns over a possible link to blood clots.

They now recommend that anyone under the age of 30 should receive an alternative vaccine amid concerns that it could, in rare circumstances, lead to a serious blood clot.

Following a safety review of the AstraZeneca vaccine, sparked by concerns over reports of rare blood clotting disorders in a small number of vaccinated individuals, both the U.K.

He said the safety measures surrounding the vaccine were robust and enabled regulators to "spot this extremely rare event.".

Meanwhile, Andrew Pollard, professor of pediatric infection and immunity at the University of Oxford, which developed the shot along with AstraZeneca, said in a statement Wednesday that "safety has been our priority throughout the development of the vaccine ...

Countries in mainland Europe are likely to have a harder time convincing their citizens that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe, given the numerous doubts and disputes over the shot and supplies to date.

After a second review into the shot, the European Medicines Agency also ruled on Wednesday that the vaccine was safe, but said it found a "possible link" between the jab and very rare cases of blood clots.

Most of the cases of blood clots identified by the regulators occurred in women under 60 within two weeks of the shot