It has emerged that a woman died at Harrogate District Hospital after receiving the Oxford-AstraZeneca covid vaccine.

Deaths from the vaccine are exceptionally rare but the Financial Times revealed a 59-year-old woman called Julia began having headaches in mid-March, nine days after receiving her first jab.

She initially thought she was suffering migraines but on March 29 her husband, a retired doctor called Peter, came home to find her in a coma.

According to the FT, doctors at the Harrogate hospital said she had a “catastrophic brain injury” resulting from cerebral venous sinus thrombosis and a very low platelet count — the rare blood condition linked to the AstraZeneca jab. Two days later she died.

According to the government, just over 10 people develop adverse drug reactions for every million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine given.

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A UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency spokesperson said:

“We are saddened to hear about this death and our thoughts are with the family.

“As with any serious suspected adverse drug reaction, reports with a fatal outcome are fully evaluated by the MHRA, including an assessment of post-mortem details if available.

“Vaccines are the best way to protect people from covid and have already saved thousands of lives. Everyone should continue to get their vaccination when asked to do so unless specifically advised otherwise.

“Our detailed and rigorous review into reports of blood clots occurring together with thrombocytopenia is ongoing.”

A Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust spokesman declined to comment.

Three covid vaccines have been authorised for supply in the UK by the MHRA.

Besides Oxford-AstraZeneca, the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have been approved for use following reviews of safety, quality and efficacy information from clinical trials.

Further information on vaccines is available here.

A coronavirus vaccination centre will open in Pateley Bridge on Saturday.

Pateley Bridge Pharmacy, which will operate at Pateley Bridge and Bewerley Memorial Hall on Park Road, has the capacity to give up to 400 inoculations a day.

A technical glitch means the NHS website booking system is not currently offering the Pateley Bridge site as an option when it invites people to book inoculations.

The pharmacy has assured eligible people they can select the site either by dialling 119 or calling them directly on 01423 711329.

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It will be the fourth vaccination site in the Harrogate district, following the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate, the racecourse in Ripon and the former Lidl in Knaresborough.

The pharmacy-led site will use the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine because it is easy to store and transport.

Samin Khan, who runs Pateley Bridge Pharmacy, previously told the Stray Ferret:

“We know that there is a need in rural areas. It took a bit of convincing but NHS England has now given us the go ahead.

“The hall is quite large. When we are up and running we will be able to vaccinate around 400 people a day.

“Pateley Bridge is a real community and it has taken a real community effort to organise.”

A coronavirus vaccine centre is to open in Pateley Bridge next month with the capacity to provide up to 400 inoculations a day.

It will be the fourth vaccination site in the Harrogate district, following in the footsteps of the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate, the racecourse at Ripon and the former Lidl in Knaresborough.

Pateley Bridge Pharmacy is behind the plans to open at Pateley Bridge and Bewerley Memorial Hall on Park Road.

The pharmacy led site will use the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine because it is easy to store and transport.

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Samina Khan, who runs Pateley Bridge Pharmacy, told the Stray Ferret that she hopes to be getting jabs in arms by April 6:

“We know that there is a need in rural areas. It took a bit of convincing but NHS England has now given us the go ahead.

“The hall is quite large. When we are up and running we will be able to vaccinate around 400 people a day.

“Pateley Bridge is a real community and it has taken a real community effort to organise.

“The church provided screens, the school provided a car park on weekends and the trustees of the hall has provided space.”

The pharmacy already has a team of medical professionals and volunteers on standby.

However, she asked for retired nurses and doctors who are interested in helping to reach out to Pateley Bridge Pharmacy. Call 01423 711329 if you are able to help.

Ms Khan said some people had complained to her pharmacy ab out having to pay up to £60 for travel to the other vaccine sites.

Chris Henderson, chairman of Pateley Bridge and Bewerley Memorial Hall trustees, said:

“We are delighted that the hall will be put to good use while it is closed for its usual activities.

“Thanks to generous government support, the hall is financially secure and essential maintenance and safety inspections had been carried out.

“It will enable the hall to open safely when allowed to do so.”

A senior NHS official in North Yorkshire today insisted “safety is the number one priority” in the coronavirus vaccine rollout after some European countries paused the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab amid concerns over blood clots.

Amanda Bloor, accountable officer of NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said while some patients may be feeling uneasy about receiving the jab, regulators had been “absolutely clear” that it is safe as she urged everyone to take up the opportunity as soon as it arises.

Her bid to reassure the public comes after Germany, France, Italy and Spain joined the list of countries to suspend use of the vaccine while they seek further clarification on its safety.

Speaking at a meeting of the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum today, Ms Bloor said:

“We understand that this action may be concerning for some people around the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine but I want to reassure you safety is the number one priority for the NHS.

“The phenomenon of blood clots can occur naturally – they are not an uncommon thing.

“Over 12 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have now been given across England and the number of blood clots that have been reported after having had the vaccine is not greater than the number that would have occurred naturally.”

The European Medicines Agency previously said there was “no indication” that the jab causes blood clots and is expected to release the final findings of an investigation on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the UK’s medicines watchdog, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, has also said that evidence “does not suggest” the jab causes clots.

Ms Bloor added:

“Given this, the NHS will continue to offer the AstraZeneca vaccine and we would urge people to come forward when invited.

“This will give us the greatest chance of keeping the cases of covid at bay within communities and hospitals, and also allowing us to progress along those timings that have been outlined in our roadmap.”

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It was also announced today that more than 188,000 people in North Yorkshire have now received their first coronavirus jab and 13,000 their second.

More than 50,000 of those have been delivered at Harrogate’s mass vaccinations centre at the Great Yorkshire Showground.

Those who are currently being called up for their vaccine include over 50s and those with underlying health conditions between 16 and 60-years-old.

Ms Bloor said the “fantastic” progress in working through the age groups meant North Yorkshire remained on track to meet the government’s target of vaccinating all over 50s by 15 April and every other adult by 31 July.

It comes as the number of people with covid in North Yorkshire’s hospitals has continued to fall with a drop from 129 last week to 96 today. Twenty three of those patients are in intensive care.

In the county’s main hospitals there are currently 13 patients in Harrogate, 25 in York and three in Scarborough.

The weekly rate of coronavirus infections is also continuing on a downward trend with the figure for North Yorkshire standing at 46 cases per 100,000 people and Harrogate 38.

These are both below the national average of 58.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine will arrive in North Yorkshire by the end of the week – but Harrogate’s vaccine centre remains closed today.

Health leaders in the county hailed the arrival of the new vaccine today in an emergency coronavirus press briefing to reflect the latest national lockdown.

More care home residents will be able to access the vaccine as it is easier to transport, they promised in the meeting.

With coronavirus cases rising rapidly and the test positivity rate more than three times what it was before Christmas, they think the new vaccine is a “light at the end of the tunnel.”

Harrogate District Hospital also started vaccinating yesterday, with 700 staff understood to have booked for vaccine this week.

Good news about the new vaccine seems to be contrasted by an empty Yorkshire Event Centre, which has reportedly been closed for multiple days over Christmas and the new year.

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Amanda Bloor, accountable officer for the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)in North Yorkshire, did not say why Harrogate’s vaccine centre remains closed today. However, she said:

“I know quite rightly that there is an enormous amount of hope from the vaccine and the opportunity to roll that out as soon as possible.

“Deployment of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine started yesterday and we anticipate delivery of that vaccine in North Yorkshire towards the end of the week.”

The Stray Ferret has pressed North Yorkshire CCG for further answers about the Harrogate vaccine centre, after being contacted by numerous concerned residents. We asked which days it had been open, how many vaccines had been delivered there and when it was likely to reopen.

In response, a spokesperson for the CCGs said today:

“Health professionals have been working tirelessly over the festive period to offer the coronavirus vaccine to priority groups where supplies have allowed.

“The showground has been taking deliveries of the vaccine and staff have vaccinated many vulnerable patients, including care home residents and staff over the festive period.

“Our message to everyone is to ask them to please be patient. You will be contacted when the time is right.

“Please do not ring your surgery to ask about the vaccine – there is lots of information on the NHS website.

“Our surgeries need to keep their phone lines free for patients requiring urgent care.”