AstraZeneca Covid-19 shot: Are blood clot events more common in women recipients? All you need to know | World News - Hindustan Times
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AstraZeneca Covid-19 shot: Are blood clot events more common in women recipients? All you need to know

By | Written by Kunal Gaurav, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
Apr 03, 2021 06:38 PM IST

According to the latest report, most of the cases of blood clots in Germany and the Netherlands have been reported among women recipients of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

The UK’s medicine regulator on Friday confirmed that seven people have died from unusual blood clots after getting AstraZenenca’s vaccine against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) had earlier released a report on adverse reactions after the AstraZeneca jab, saying at least 30 cases of blood clots were reported in Britain as of March 24.

In Germany, 31 cases of CVST were recorded after they were administered with AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine.(AP)
In Germany, 31 cases of CVST were recorded after they were administered with AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine.(AP)

The majority of cases of blood coagulation included cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), a type of blood clot in the brain, accompanied by low levels of platelets in the body. While Britain has continued the vaccination drive, as advised by its health regulator and the World Health Organization (WHO), countries like Germany and the Netherlands have restricted the use of the vaccine for people aged 60 and above.

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Are blood clot events more common in women?

According to the latest report, most of the cases of blood clots in Germany and the Netherlands have been reported among women recipients of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. Britain is yet to provide gender-wise data on blood clot events.

The Netherlands halted vaccination in people under the age of 60 as a "precautionary measure" following the death of a woman who had received a shot. Dutch agency Lareb, which tracks medication side effects, said that the events of extensive thrombosis with low platelet counts after vaccinations with the AstraZeneca vaccine were reported in women between 25 and 65 years old. “Three patients had extensive pulmonary embolisms. One died and one also had a brain haemorrhage," it said.

In Germany, 31 cases of CVST were recorded after they were administered with AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine, out of which nine resulted in deaths. Germany’s vaccine regulator, the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI), said that almost all reports, with exception of two cases, concerned women between the ages of 20 and 63. The two men who suffered blood clots were 36 and 57 years old.

However, cases of CVST is inherently more common in younger women, according to a BBC report, and taking contraceptive pills increases the risk. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Wednesday said that the review by its safety committee has not identified “any specific risk factors, such as age, gender or a previous medical history of clotting disorders, for these very rare events.” It further added that a causal link with the vaccine is not proven “but is possible and further analysis is continuing.”


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