The EU’s 27 member states have been urged by Brussels to bolster public confidence by coming up with a unified response to the finding by regulators that blood clots are a rare side-effect of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab.

At a meeting of health ministers and officials from the European medicines agency (EMA), which announced the finding about the Covid vaccine while also insisting it vaccine should still be widely used, the EU’s governments were divided over what restrictions if any should be imposed on its use.

The EU’s health commissioner, Stella Kyriakides, said in a statement after the meeting that it was vital that a common policy was formed, given the faltering confidence among the public in the vaccine.

She said: “The safety of our vaccines has always been paramount under our EU vaccines strategy. Today’s assessment shows that our pharmacovigilance system works: suspected side-effects are reported rapidly, information is shared and our experts come together swiftly to assess all available evidence.