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The UK pharmacovigilance agency said Saturday that 30 of the people who received the AstraZeneca vaccine blood clots have formed 7 died.
The agency emphasizes that it is too early to conclude that the clots were caused by the vaccine.
According to CNN on Saturday, there are increasing reports of blood clots coming from different countries, mainly in Europe, where the renamed AstraZeneca vaccine is being used.
Some countries have suspended vaccination, and in some, the vaccine is only used in certain groups of the population.
CNN provides answers to key questions about this vaccine.
Where else is this happening?
The Netherlands announced on Friday that it had suspended use of the vaccine in people under the age of 60.
This was motivated by reports of blood clots in women ages 25 to 65. About 400 thousand were used in the country. AstraZeneca dosage.
Sigismund Gedvila / 15 min photo / “AstraZeneca” vaccine
Germany did the same on Tuesday. These measurements were taken after 31 reports of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis in women aged 20 to 63 years.
Reuters reported 9 deaths.
In Germany, at least 2.7 million people have been vaccinated with the first dose of AstraZeneca. persons. This means that the chance of clots forming is low enough.
According to the German Ministry of Health, complications were caused by an average of one in 100,000 people. vaccine dose. The ministry did not elaborate on the complications and whether they were serious.
On March 30, three people died in the country who were diagnosed with blood clots, low platelet counts and bleeding between 3 and 14 days after vaccination. In this country, 134,000 people have been vaccinated with at least one AstraZeneca vaccine. persons.
“The Norwegian Medicines Agency believes there is a possible link to the vaccine, but it is necessary to fully investigate and understand what causes it,” the agency said in a statement.
Denmark has reported two cases of blood clots and platelet counts after vaccination with the vaccine. One person did not survive.
How can scientists determine if the vaccine causes blood clots?
One indicator is the frequency of cases.
Blood clots are common in general, so it is likely that in some people they can form for a variety of reasons at any time.
If a person has been vaccinated and has blood clots, this does not necessarily mean that they were caused by the vaccine.
Reuters / Photo by Scanpix / AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical Company
Following reports of blood clots, AstraZeneca has confirmed that the number of clots in countries where the vaccine is used is even rarer among those vaccinated than the general population average.
The European Medicines Agency has emphasized that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the potential risks.
To answer the question about the relationship between vaccines and clots, researchers are taking a closer look at the types of clots that form after a vaccine.
Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis is rare, and the researchers’ work is complicated by the fact that its prevalence in the population has not been fully determined.
According to the UK Medicines Agency, a total of 15.8 million wives are vaccinated with at least the first dose of the vaccine.
The chance of rare clots forming is 1.89 per million.
There have been 30 cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis or other thrombosis in this country, so the chance of rare clots forming is 1.89 per million.
David Werring, from the Institute of Neurology at University College London, said the chances of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis after vaccination were extremely low and it was unclear if it was higher than it does in society.
According to him, the number of cases of thrombosis of this type in the UK can be 5 to 15 per million per year.
However, he stressed that the figures are approximate, since this thrombosis is difficult to diagnose in some cases.
It is more beneficial for researchers to take a closer look at the nature of these clots.
There is growing evidence that, in some cases, clots formed after vaccination had unusual characteristics due to concomitant thrombocytopenia, a decrease in the number of platelets.
“This means that the vaccine can cause these rare conditions. However, we don’t know yet, we need to investigate it as soon as possible,” said D. Wering.
Experts reiterate that the benefits outweigh the risks, but by how much?
If you look at it globally or even nationally, the answer is one: a lot.
Note that the UK vaccination campaign started on December 7th, and by March 30th, 30 cases of blood clots had been detected.
During the same period, more than 2.5 million. people became ill with COVID-19 and 63,082 people in the country died from the virus.
Cambridge University statistics David Spiegelhalter emphasized that it is vital not to delay vaccination.
He highlighted that even with a relatively low morbidity rate in the country, half a million people aged 44 to 54 years are at risk of hospitalization and 5 are at risk of death due to delays in vaccination.
Recently, a higher incidence has been observed among the youngest. It is not yet known if this is due to a strain of coronavirus.
Will blood clots end with death?
The number of cases is so small that it is difficult to draw conclusions about mortality. In Germany, nine out of 31 died, in the United Kingdom, according to the latest data, seven.
The Blood Clots Expert Group, which is investigating possible links between blood clots and vaccination in Germany, says that blood clots with a low platelet count are similar to a known disorder called heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.
The disorder, they say, is curable, but only if it is diagnosed quickly.
The disorder, they say, is curable, but only if it is diagnosed quickly.
This is a condition that occurs as a side effect of the drug heparin. Heparin is indicated to treat venous sinus thrombosis.
Presenting the experts’ findings to journalists, Andreas Greinacher of the University of Greifswald said he thought it was a reaction to the vaccine: “vaccine-induced prothrombotic immune thrombocytopenia.”
A group of experts urged doctors not to prescribe heparin to patients who have developed blood clots if they have been vaccinated with AstraZeneca, as the drug can make their condition worse.
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