PEOPLE aged under 40 in York are being offered an alternative to the Oxford vaccine when they turn up for their Covid jabs, vaccination bosses have confirmed.

Nimbuscare, which oversees the national vaccination centre at Moor Lane, says the cabins where vaccinations are administered have been adapted and staff retrained, so that they can offer the Moderna jab as well as the Oxford/ AstraZeneca vaccine.

The move comes after the government advised that people under 40 should be offered an alternative to the Oxford vaccine where possible, provided it did not cause a delay in them getting vaccinated.

The UK's medicines safety regulator the MHRA says that, while the risk of developing a rare blood clot after being given the Oxford jab is extremely low, it is slightly higher in younger age groups.

“The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is safe, effective and has already saved thousands of lives in the UK and around the world,” a government spokesperson said.

“The benefits of the vaccine far outweigh the risks for the vast majority of adults. (However) as a precaution, it is preferable for people under the age of 40 with no underlying health conditions to be offered an alternative vaccine where possible once they are eligible, and only if doing so does not cause a substantial delay in accessing a vaccination.”

Nimbuscare said: “We started doing Moderna there (at Moor Lane) some weeks ago and have adapted both cabins and retrained staff appropriately.”