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Vaccine safety
Blood clot controversy
Several countries halt use of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine over blood
clot fears, despite experts saying it is safe, reports Layal Liverpool
A NUMBER of European nations,
including Germany, France, Italy
and Sweden, have suspended use
of the Oxford/AstraZeneca covid-19
vaccine over blood clot concerns.
The World Health Organization
and the European Medicines
Agency (EMA) have both
emphasised that there is currently
no evidence linking the vaccine
to blood clots and recommend
that countries continue using it.
As New Scientist went to press,
both organisations were meeting
to review the vaccine, with a
statement expected imminently.
Among 17 million people who
have received the vaccine in the EU
and the UK, 15 cases of deep-vein
thrombosis (DVT) and 22 cases
of pulmonary embolism have
been reported as of 8 March,
AstraZeneca said in a statement
on 14 March. DVT is a blood clot
in a vein, which has the potential
to travel to the lungs, causing
a blockage, or what is known
as a pulmonary embolism.
“Many thousands of people
develop blood clots annually
in the EU for different reasons,”
the EMA said in a statement.
The number of blood clotting
incidents in vaccinated people
“seems not to be higher than that
seen in the general population”.
In Germany, the Paul Ehrlich
Institute, which advises the
government on covid-19, said
it had recommended the
temporary suspension of the
vaccine following a “noticeable
increase” in cases of cerebral
venous sinus thrombosis (CVST),
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a blood clot in a major brain vessel,
soon after vaccinations.
Germany’s health minister, Jens
Spahn, said at a press conference
on 15 March that there had been
seven reported cases that may be
related to CVST out of 1.6 million
vaccinations in Germany.
Estimates of how many incidences
of CVST you might expect in the
general population over a year vary
from two to five cases per million
people to more than 15 cases per
million, depending on the study.
“There is absolutely no data
that supports [the German
government’s] decision,” says
César Muñoz-Fontela at the
Bernhard Nocht Institute for
Tropical Medicine in Germany.
vial containing the
AstraZeneca vaccine
He says that older people and
people with pre-existing health
conditions, who are more at risk
of blood clots generally, have been
prioritised for the vaccine, which
may have skewed the apparent
side effects. He would like to see a
comparison with a control group
that has the same characteristics
as the people so far vaccinated.
“Many thousands of people
develop blood clots
annually in the EU for
different reasons”
The International Society on
Thrombosis and Haemostasis
recommends that all eligible
adults continue to receive their
covid-19 vaccinations. “At this
time, the small number of
reported thrombotic events
relative to the millions of
administered COVID-19
vaccinations does not suggest a
direct link,” it said in a statement.
“In weighing up the merits of
a medical intervention, it’s really
important to consider both sides
of the argument: how risky is it
for someone to have it versus how
risky is it for them not to,” says
Lucy Walker at University College
London. “An increased risk of
thrombosis is one of the known
complications of [coronavirus]
infection. The vaccines we have are
incredibly good at preventing the
illness caused by this virus. They
will therefore prevent people from
having thrombosis associated
with the infection itself.”
The decision to halt use of
the vaccine could have wider
consequences, adds Walker. One is
that it could lower vaccine uptake
in general by increasing anxiety
about jabs. To get the upper hand
with the coronavirus, we also need
to vaccinate people as quickly as
possible to suppress the evolution
of dangerous variants. “To have
stocks of a safe, effective vaccine
not being used, through an
abundance of caution, potentially
hinders this mission,” she says. ❚
20 March 2021 | New Scientist | 7