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AstraZeneca admits to Covid vaccine's deadly side effect

<p>AstraZeneca has admitted that their Covid vaccine carries a very rare but deadly side effect, as "dozens" of class-action lawsuits pile up. </p> <p>The UK pharmaceutical giant could be facing damages of up to $38 million, as lawyers representing complainants whose loved ones who were injured or killed from the jab called the vaccine "defective". </p> <p>Those who received the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine could be susceptible to a rare and potentially blood clotting disorder called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, or TTS, in which patients suffer from blood clots as well as a low blood platelet count. </p> <p>While the side effect is rare, recent research from RMIT University and Monash University found Australia’s Covid-19 vaccination rollout likely prevented the death of 17,760 people aged over 50 in New South Wales between August 2021 and July 2022, with some researchers suggesting that AstraZeneca alone helped saved as many as six million lives worldwide, according to the <a title="nypost.com" href="https://nypost.com/2024/04/29/world-news/astrazeneca-cops-to-rare-deadly-side-effect-of-covid-jab-as-lawsuits-mount/"><em>New York Post</em>.</a></p> <p>AstraZeneca, which is contesting the claims, acknowledged in a February legal document that its vaccine can “in very rare cases,” cause the clotting condition, while also acknowledging that the potential complication was listed as a side effect of the vaccine since its release.</p> <p>So far, 51 cases have been filed in London’s High Court, estimated to be worth around $190 million (GBP100 million) total, according to the UK newspaper<a title="www.telegraph.co.uk" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/28/astrazeneca-admits-covid-vaccine-causes-rare-side-effect/"> <em>The Telegraph</em></a>.</p> <p>However, thanks to a deal struck between AstraZeneca and the UK government during the worst of the pandemic, the drugmaker has been pre-emptively indemnified against future lawsuits – which means any successful claims for payouts will be born by taxpayers.</p> <p>One of the claimants is father-of-two Jamie Scott, who was left with a permanent brain injury after suffering a clot following receiving the vaccine in April 2021. </p> <p>His wife, Kate, told <a title="www.telegraph.co.uk" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/28/astrazeneca-admits-covid-vaccine-causes-rare-side-effect/"><em>The Telegraph</em> </a>she’s hopeful the company’s admission will accelerate the outcome of their case.</p> <p>“We need an apology, fair compensation for our family and other families who have been affected. We have the truth on our side, and we are not going to give up.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p>

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New booster vaccine approved in Australia

<p dir="ltr">An additional vaccine has been <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/astrazeneca-booster-shots-provisionally-approved-australia-therapeutic-goods-administration/cb666fd3-dff2-4603-8a56-663b7ad0b225" target="_blank" rel="noopener">granted provisional approval</a> to be used as a booster shot by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).</p><p dir="ltr">The TGA announced that a vaccine produced by AstraZeneca, called Vaxzevria, could be administered to individuals over the age of 18 who are yet to receive their third, ‘booster’ dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.</p><p dir="ltr">However, the TGA continues to recommend that Australians choose Moderna or Pfizer over the newly-approved jab.</p><p dir="ltr">“The third (booster) dose may be given if clinically indicated with reference to official guidance regarding the use of a heterologous third dose (e.g. mRNA vaccine),” it said in a statement.</p><p dir="ltr">“This means that the decision to receive Vaxzevria as a booster must be made in consultation with a medical professional.”</p><p dir="ltr">Dr Vinod Balasubramaniam, a virologist from Monash University’s Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Malaysia, said the addition of a third vaccine is particularly important as the world battles the Omicron variant.</p><p dir="ltr">“It’s important to increase the vaccine portfolio in the fight against COVID-19, in particular against the current highly contagious Omicron variant, a multi-pronged approach is definitely needed for us to win the war,” he <a href="https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/expert-reaction-tga-provisionally-approves-astrazeneca-boosters-for-ages-18" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.</p><p dir="ltr">“Diversifying the vaccine portfolio in including AstraZeneca vaccines as part of the booster dose regimen is important, especially when used as a mix-and-match for individuals who experienced adverse reactions with their primary vaccinations with other types of vaccines.”</p><p dir="ltr">Dr Andy Files, a senior research fellow at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research within the University of Tasmania, agreed and noted that the mix-and-match approach has been proved as an effective way of protecting people from the virus.</p><p dir="ltr">“From a basic immunology perspective, swapping vaccines should help to focus the immune response on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein encoded in the vaccines, rather than the other components of the vaccine, thus providing the intended boost in protection against the coronavirus,” he explained.</p><p dir="ltr">“The AstraZeneca booster will be most useful for people that had strong side effects to the mRNA vaccines or have histories of myocarditis or pericarditis.”</p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-7a08a62b-7fff-6267-485c-f7fb04a89364"></span></p><p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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Scientists believe they found “the trigger” for AstraZeneca blood clots

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Scientists believe they have discovered the reason for some people experiencing extremely rare blood clot complications after getting the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A new study from a team of British and US researchers suggests that an interaction between the vaccine and a particular protein in blood could trigger thrombosis in some people.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The team’s findings suggest that the way the viral vector - which is used to transport COVID-19’s genetic material into cells - binds to a protein called platelet factor four, which could trigger an immune response that can result in blood clots.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Professor Alan Parker, an expert from Cardiff University’s School of Medicine and an author of the study, said thrombosis “only happens in extremely rare cases because a chain of complex events needs to take place to trigger this ultra-rare side effect”.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">1/6 A team of scientists from <a href="https://twitter.com/cardiffuni?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cardiffuni</a> and the US believe they may have found “the trigger” that leads to extremely rare blood clots after the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.<a href="https://t.co/V07Hy2cYcd">https://t.co/V07Hy2cYcd</a> <a href="https://t.co/IWOEzCTA5t">pic.twitter.com/IWOEzCTA5t</a></p> — Cardiff University (@cardiffuni) <a href="https://twitter.com/cardiffuni/status/1466432911310217227?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After the serious side effect prompted some countries to restrict its use and promote alternative vaccines, an investigation was started into the causes of the clots and any potential preventions.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The search involved AstraZeneca’s own scientists, who joined after the team published early findings.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The latest study has been published in the journal </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abl8213" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Science Advances</span></a></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite the restrictions on its usage, the AstraZeneca vaccine is thought to have saved more than a million lives around the world, while preventing 50 million cases of COVID-19.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p>

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Brain strain: neurological effects of COVID and vaccines compared

<p>Concerns about the side-effects of COVID vaccinations have been amplified during the current pandemic by both the vast quantity of data that’s accumulating, and traditional- and social-media coverage.</p> <p>Rare blood clots resulting from first doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca (ChAdOx1nCoV-19) vaccine have been most prominently revealed. As a result there have been changes to the age range of people administered AstraZeneca vaccine, and in a few instances its suspension from national vaccination programs.</p> <p>Now, a nationwide study of 32 million adults in England has revealed an increased, but low, risk of the rare neurological conditions Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and Bell’s palsy following a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The study also revealed an increased, but low, risk of hemorrhagic stroke following a first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2) vaccine.</p> <p>However, the research, <a rel="noopener" href="/t%20%20https:/doi.org/10.1038/%20s41591-021-01556-7" target="_blank">published</a> in <em>Nature Medicine</em>, also revealed a substantially higher risk of seven neurological outcomes, including GBS, after a positive SARS-CoV-2 test.</p> <p>“Crucially, we found that the risk of neurological complications from [COVID] infection was substantially higher than the risk of adverse events from vaccinations in our population,” the authors wrote. “[F]or example, 145 excess cases versus 38 excess cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome per 10 million exposed in those who had a positive SARS-CoV-2 test and [AstraZeneca]-19 vaccine, respectively.”</p> <blockquote> <p>“The risks of adverse neurological events following SARS-CoV-2 infection are much greater than those associated with vaccinations”</p> </blockquote> <p>Cosmos has <a rel="noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/adverse-reactions-guillain-barre-tts-and-the-fine-mesh-net/" target="_blank">reported</a> on the extraordinarily fine-mesh approach to monitoring vaccine side-effects in Australia, which as of early September had been unable to establish a clear link between GBS and AstraZeneca shots. All Australians vaccinated for COVID thus far have received one of the two vaccines examined in the new research, and their efficacy has been widely confirmed.</p> <p>The study – a collaboration between several English and Scottish institutions – made its findings among English adults, which was then replicated in an independent national cohort of more than three million Scottish people.</p> <p>The authors anticipate that these results will inform risk–benefit evaluations for vaccine programs as well as clinical decision-making and resource allocation for these rare neurological complications. They conclude their findings are likely to be of relevance to other countries, but that more studies need to be done.</p> <p>“We believe that these findings are likely to be of relevance to other countries using these vaccines and it would be useful to replicate these results in similarly large datasets internationally,” wrote the authors, in conclusion.</p> <p>“Importantly, the risks of adverse neurological events following SARS-CoV-2 infection are much greater than those associated with vaccinations, highlighting the benefits of ongoing vaccination programs.”</p> <!-- Start of tracking content syndication. Please do not remove this section as it allows us to keep track of republished articles --> <p><img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=170617&amp;title=Brain+strain%3A+neurological+effects+of+COVID+and+vaccines+compared" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></p> <!-- End of tracking content syndication --> <div id="contributors"> <p><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/covid/side-effects-of-covid-and-vaccines/" target="_blank">This article</a> was originally published on <a rel="noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a rel="noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/cosmos-editors" target="_blank">Cosmos</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Wikimedia Commons</em></p> </div>

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New vaccine trial targets 2000-year-old virus

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The researchers behind the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine have started a new trial to treat a much older disease: the plague.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the phase-one trial, scientists at the University of Oxford will be testing a new vaccine for the ancient virus on at least 40 healthy volunteers aged between 18 and 55.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The new vaccine, which uses the same technology as the AstraZeneca jab, is being trialled to check how well the body recognises and learns how to fight the plague after vaccination.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though the virus hasn’t been seen in most of the world since the Black Death swept through Europe in the 14th century, there are still cases in some rural areas of Africa, Asia and America.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Between 2010 and 2015, 3,248 cases of the plague were reported globally, including 584 deaths.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSJQK9CLXF5/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CSJQK9CLXF5/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Oxford Vaccine Group (@oxford_vaccinegroup)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Just two years later, </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2021-07-26-phase-i-trial-begins-new-vaccine-against-plague" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">an epidemic</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in Madagascar saw 2,119 suspected cases and 171 deaths over several months.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With many of the regions at risk of outbreaks being in remote locations, a vaccine could be a new way to protect these communities.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Larissa, 26, studies genetics at the University of Oxford and is one of the participants who hopes she can help save lives by getting the jab.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843432/_119964702_capture.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/faa0b5599bbf49738fdbc2a4e0278892" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Oxford University</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’m lucky enough to live in a time where vaccines are being developed,” Larissa said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“And so, when I saw that there was a study aiming at developing a vaccine against a disease that’s been around for 2000 years and has killed millions and millions of people, I didn’t hesitate, I just wanted to do my bit.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When asked if she was worried about side effects, Larissa said she wasn’t “too concerned”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The vaccine that’s being assessed today is using the same platform as the Covid vaccine, which has literally been administered to millions of people around the world.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Like the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, the plague vaccine uses a weakened version of adenovirus - a common-cold virus from chimpanzees - that has been genetically altered so people do not get infected.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The vaccine does not contain plague bacterium, meaning recipients of the jab cannot contract the plague.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Instead, the adenovirus has additional genes that make proteins from </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Yersinia pestis</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the plague bacterium.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With these added genes, the vaccine should be able to teach the immune systems of recipients how to fend off a real infection of the plague if it needs to.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This technique could also be used against other diseases, according to the researchers.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We’ve already done clinical trials using similar technology against a bacterium, meningitis B, and a virus, Zika,” Dr Maheshi Ramasamy, the senior clinical researcher of the Oxford Vaccine Group, said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“But we’re also looking to develop vaccines against new and emerging diseases such as Lassa fever or the Marburg virus.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The plague vaccine trial is expected to run for at least a year.</span></p>

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A history of blood clots is not usually any reason to avoid the AstraZeneca vaccine

<p>As haematologists, we look after many patients who have had blood clots in the past or take blood thinners. They often ask: “should I have the AstraZeneca vaccine?”</p> <p>The answer is usually a definitive “yes”. The blood clots we’ve seen following the AstraZeneca vaccine are completely different to other types of blood clots, such as deep vein thrombosis or a pulmonary embolism, or the clots that cause heart attacks and strokes.</p> <p>People with a history of these sorts of conditions don’t appear to be at any <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/news/joint-statement-from-atagi-and-thanz-on-thrombosis-with-thrombocytopenia-syndrome-tts-and-the-use-of-covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca">increased risk</a> from the AstraZeneca vaccine.</p> <p>In fact, people in this group could be <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30566-3/fulltext">at greater risk</a> from COVID-19, so shouldn’t delay getting vaccinated.</p> <p><strong>First, how does blood form clots?</strong></p> <p>Blood flows through our body’s vessels as a liquid, carrying oxygen, nutrients, proteins and immune cells to every organ. But if we get injured or undergo surgery, our body needs to plug the wound to stem bleeding.</p> <p>Our blood contains components that allow it to quickly transform from a fluid into a semi-solid <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507795/">clot</a> in a few seconds.</p> <p>At the first sign of damage, the smallest of the blood cells — the platelets — stick to the damaged vessel wall, and together with the damaged wall itself, attract a legion of clotting proteins, which amass on the damaged site and bind the wound.</p> <p><strong>Venous clots</strong></p> <p>Sometimes theses natural clotting and anti-clotting processes in the blood become unbalanced, putting a person <a href="https://bestpractice.bmj.com/topics/en-gb/70">at risk</a> of developing blood clots in their veins. This can occur in people:</p> <ul> <li> <p>with cancer or an infection</p> </li> <li> <p>who are pregnant</p> </li> <li> <p>who are taking an oestrogen-containing contraceptive pill</p> </li> <li> <p>who are immobilised during and after surgery or following major trauma</p> </li> <li> <p>who have certain inherited conditions.</p> </li> </ul> <p>In all of these cases, an abnormal blood clot can develop in the deep veins of the thigh and groin (deep vein thrombosis), or the lung (pulmonary embolism).</p> <p>Very rarely, blood clots occur in other places — for example, the veins of the abdomen or the brain.</p> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/405257/original/file-20210609-15-qsrh0l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="An illustration of a blood clot." /> <span class="caption">Our blood needs to clot to a degree.</span> <span class="attribution"><a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/3d-rendered-medically-accurate-illustration-blood-1440889268" class="source">Shutterstock</a></span></p> <p><strong>Arterial clots</strong></p> <p>Arteries supplying blood to the heart, brain and lower limbs can <a href="https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/atherosclerosis">become narrowed</a>, usually due to risk factors including smoking, diabetes, and high blood pressure and cholesterol.</p> <p>A clot forming in these sites can obstruct blood flow, causing, for example, a heart attack or stroke.</p> <p><strong>What is TTS?</strong></p> <p>The AstraZeneca vaccine is associated with a rare condition called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/covid-19-vaccines/learn-about-covid-19-vaccines/about-the-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine#thrombosis-with-thrombocytopenia-syndrome-tts">or TTS</a>. Cases of the condition have also been reported following the <a href="https://post.parliament.uk/covid-19-vaccines-safety-and-blood-clots/">Johnson &amp; Johnson COVID vaccine</a>, though this one isn’t available in Australia.</p> <p>We now know a lot more about this condition than we did a few months ago.</p> <p>TTS is caused by an abnormal <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2105385">immune response</a>, resulting in the development of an <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2104882">antibody directed at the platelets</a> (blood cells which prevent bleeding). This causes the platelets to become hyperactive, which triggers blood clots in the body, including in places we don’t normally see clots, like in the brain or the abdomen.</p> <p>This process also consumes platelets, which results in a low platelet count. In the name “thrombosis” refers to clots, and “thrombocytopenia” to low platelet count.</p> <p>The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) recently estimated the risk of TTS in Australia at <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/news/atagi-update-following-weekly-covid-19-meeting-26-may-2021">around 1.6 in 100,000</a> doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine administered in people 50 and older, although this data may change as more people are vaccinated.</p> <p>Fortunately, <a href="https://www.thanz.org.au/documents/item/591">diagnosis and treatment</a> for TTS has progressed rapidly. Doctors now know the symptoms to look out for, and haematologists have identified <a href="https://www.thanz.org.au/documents/item/590">treatments for the condition</a>. These include intravenous immunoglobulin (a concentrate of antibodies from healthy donors) and blood thinners.</p> <p>Outcomes for people with TTS have improved significantly worldwide since the condition was first recognised earlier in the year. In Australia, <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/periodic/covid-19-vaccine-weekly-safety-report-03-06-2021">most patients</a> with TTS have recovered or are recovering.</p> <p><strong>Don’t delay getting the vaccine</strong></p> <p>There’s <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2105385">no evidence</a> people who have previously experienced blood clots, have an inherited risk of blood clots, or who take blood thinners or related medications, <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/news/joint-statement-from-atagi-and-thanz-on-thrombosis-with-thrombocytopenia-syndrome-tts-and-the-use-of-covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca">have any increased risk</a> of TTS.</p> <p>As an immune-driven disease that causes platelet over-activity, the mechanism for TTS is completely different from other types of blood clots.</p> <p>In this light, ATAGI recently advised the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe for these people.</p> <p>As a precaution, Australian <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/news/joint-statement-from-atagi-and-thanz-on-thrombosis-with-thrombocytopenia-syndrome-tts-and-the-use-of-covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca">guidelines</a> recommend certain people should avoid the AstraZeneca vaccine and have the Pfizer jab instead. These include people:</p> <ul> <li> <p>who have had a previous episode of <a href="https://ashpublications.org/bloodadvances/article/2/22/3360/16129/American-Society-of-Hematology-2018-guidelines-for?searchresult=1&amp;_ga=2.77625169.45941325.1623216140-342682804.1622272004">heparin-induced thrombocytopenia</a> (a “cousin” of TTS)</p> </li> <li> <p>who have had venous blood clots in their brain or abdomen</p> </li> <li> <p>who have a very rare antibody-driven clotting disease called <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/antiphospholipid-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20355831">antiphospholipid syndrome</a></p> </li> <li> <p>who are aged under 50.</p> </li> </ul> <p>It’s crucial to remember that people with risk factors for heart attacks and strokes, including <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(20)30271-0/fulltext">diabetes</a> and high blood pressure, are at increased risk of developing <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30566-3/fulltext">severe COVID-19</a> if they are infected. Further, <a href="https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/56/1/2001608">COVID itself</a> makes the blood more “sticky” and significantly increases the risk of blood clots.</p> <p>So we advise our patients: even if you’ve had deep vein thrombosis, a pulmonary embolism, a heart attack or a stroke previously, you’re not at increased risk of TTS from vaccination. You should get vaccinated as soon as you’re eligible.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/161889/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sant-rayn-pasricha-9134">Sant-Rayn Pasricha</a>, Division Head, Population Health and Immunity, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/walter-and-eliza-hall-institute-822">Walter and Eliza Hall Institute</a></em> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/paul-monagle-1237963">Paul Monagle</a>, Professor, Department of Paediatrics, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a></em></span></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-history-of-blood-clots-is-not-usually-any-reason-to-avoid-the-astrazeneca-vaccine-161889">original article</a>.</p>

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I’m over 50 and hesitant about the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine. Should I wait for Pfizer?

<p>It’s been well documented that there’s a significant level of <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/older-australians-especially-older-women-most-concerned-about-covid-vaccines-20210519-p57tc4.html">vaccine hesitancy</a> in the Australian community at the moment. This appears to be a particular issue among adults over 50 concerning the AstraZeneca vaccine, for which this group is now eligible.</p> <p>Hesitancy over the AstraZeneca vaccine, likely to be stemming largely from the very small risk of blood clots, is leading <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-21/experts-urge-over-50s-to-get-astrazeneca-covid19-vaccine/100154574">some people to ask</a>: can’t I just wait and get the Pfizer vaccine later?</p> <p>It didn’t help things when federal health minister Greg Hunt <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/may/20/do-not-wait-to-be-vaccinated-greg-hunt-says-after-earlier-comments-sparked-confusion">said yesterday</a> there will be enough supply of the mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) later in the year for anyone concerned about the AstraZeneca shot. Hunt has since pedalled back on his remarks.</p> <p>Despite the mixed messaging, you shouldn’t wait for a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine later. There are a number of benefits to getting the AstraZeneca jab now.</p> <h2>Thinking about the blood clot risk</h2> <p>Thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (<a href="https://www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/covid-19-vaccines/learn-about-covid-19-vaccines/about-the-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine#thrombosis-with-thrombocytopenia-syndrome-tts">TTS</a>), an unusual blood clotting disorder, has been associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine.</p> <p>It’s important to emphasise it’s not unreasonable to have concerns about the risk of a potentially serious side effect from the AstraZeneca vaccine, or any other vaccine. The challenge is in understanding the magnitude of this risk, putting this risk into perspective, and then weighing up the risks versus the benefits before making a decision.</p> <p>The difficulty is your brain plays a variety of tricks on you when you try to make sense of risks like this. For example, we have a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5773401/">tendency to perceive</a> the risks of very rare adverse outcomes (such as TTS) as being greater than they are.</p> <p>We also tend to be more concerned about negative consequences that may arise as a result of our actions than our inactions. That is, we’re generally <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2020.614113/full">more worried</a> about a potential adverse outcome from taking a vaccine than any adverse outcome that may result from not taking it. This of course isn’t logical, but is another one of the errors we make in processing risks.</p> <p>In terms of assessing the risk of TTS associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine for over 50s, we’ve always known the risk is very low.</p> <p>At the time of writing this article the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/periodic/covid-19-vaccine-weekly-safety-report-20-05-2021">COVID-19 weekly vaccine safety report</a> reported there had been 21 confirmed cases of TTS out of about 2.1 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine administered. This is equivalent to one case per 100,000 vaccinations.</p> <p>Importantly, as we’ve got better at detecting and treating this condition, the <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/thousands-of-astrazeneca-shots-pile-up-in-federal-run-clinics-as-gps-wait-20210520-p57tqp.html">likelihood of severe outcomes</a> from TTS have come down considerably. So the rare risk of serious illness from this syndrome looks to be even rarer than we first thought.</p> <p>To put TTS into perspective, it’s also useful to note we see around <a href="https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/blood-clot-death-likely-linked-to-astrazeneca-covi">50 blood clots</a> unrelated to TTS every day in Australia.</p> <h2>Weighing the risks against the benefits</h2> <p>The benefits of getting the AstraZeneca vaccine are considerable for over 50s, from both an individual and a community perspective.</p> <p>When opting to get a vaccine, you’re protecting yourself against the future risk of infection and possible severe illness. For over 50s who contract COVID the risk of severe illness and death is <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/older-adults.html">very real</a>. We’re also learning many people who get COVID-19 suffer with ongoing and sometimes debilitating symptoms, a phenomenon called “<a href="https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/news/coronavirus-and-your-health/long-covid">long COVID</a>”.</p> <p>Another factor which may be driving hesitancy around the AstraZeneca vaccine is the perception the Pfizer vaccine works better. But the most recent data suggest any difference in the performance of these vaccines may be smaller than we originally believed.</p> <p>Although phase 3 clinical trial data indicated the AstraZeneca vaccine had an efficacy of <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32661-1/fulltext">around 70%</a>, new real-world data <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/world/europe/two-astrazeneca-shots-could-be-85-90-per-cent-effective-uk-data-suggests-20210521-p57ttr.html">from the United Kingdom</a> tells us it could be as much as 85%-90% effective in protecting against symptomatic COVID-19.</p> <p>This is positive news and not far off the 95% figure for the Pfizer vaccine seen in <a href="https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-and-biontech-conclude-phase-3-study-covid-19-vaccine">clinical trials</a> and in <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/pfizer-vaccine-coronavirus-israel-data-b1842617.html">the real world</a>.</p> <p>And apart from effectively protecting against severe illness and death from the original strain, the AstraZeneca vaccine appears to work <a href="https://theconversation.com/im-over-50-and-can-now-get-my-covid-vaccine-is-the-astrazeneca-vaccine-safe-does-it-work-what-else-do-i-need-to-know-159814">almost as well</a> in protecting against more severe outcomes for variants of concern, such as the UK variant. Early signs also suggest the vaccine is working quite well to reduce transmission of the virus.</p> <p>It’s also important to understand — and this applies to all age groups — that we’re getting vaccinated for the health of the community as a whole.</p> <p>Although a great deal of the success or failure of the vaccination program has been framed in terms of reaching herd immunity, we don’t need to reach a certain threshold for the community to reap benefits. Every vaccine delivered makes a difference as the greater the proportion of the population vaccinated, the more difficult it is for the virus to spread.</p> <p>As we’ve seen in <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57153195">Taiwan</a> in recent weeks, being complacent about COVID is flirting with danger.</p> <p>Even though we don’t have community transmission of COVID in Australia now, and we may feel safe and secure in this climate, we need to remember things could change very quickly.</p> <p> </p> <h2>Get the jab</h2> <p>There’s really no logical reason for someone over 50 to wait for an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine, like Pfizer or Moderna. If you do choose to wait, there’s no guarantee when any alternative might be available, and in the interim you risk leaving yourself vulnerable.</p> <p>By stepping up to get your vaccine as soon as you can, you protect yourself against severe COVID and make a significant contribution to putting this pandemic behind us, including getting Australia closer to opening up international borders.</p> <hr /> <p><em>Correction: this article previously referred to data from the Department of Health on the prevalence of TTS. But this was international data; the TGA figures are the most up-to-date for the Australian context.</em><!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/161283/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hassan-vally-202904">Hassan Vally</a>, Associate Professor, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/la-trobe-university-842">La Trobe University</a></em></span></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/im-over-50-and-hesitant-about-the-astrazeneca-covid-vaccine-should-i-wait-for-pfizer-161283">original article</a>.</p>

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