Covid: 30 blood clot cases found in AstraZeneca recipients in the UK

[Eugene]

Also: Seven UK recipients of Oxford jab reported dead after clotting (The Guardian)

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Source: BBC

Covid: 30 blood clot cases found in AstraZeneca recipients in the UK

2 April 2021

The UK's medicines watchdog says it has found 30 cases of rare blood clots in people who have had the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) says the risk of having this type of clot is "very small".

The UK cases were out of more than 18 million doses given as of 24 March.

Fears over clots have led nations such as the Netherlands, Germany, France and Canada to restrict the jab's use.

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The MHRA said it had received 22 reports of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) - where a blood clot forms in the brain - and eight reports of "other thrombosis events with low platelets [the cells involved in clotting]" following use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab, out of a total of 18.1 million doses given up to and including 24 March.

The watchdog said the benefits of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing Covid-19 infection and its complications continued to outweigh any risks, and urged the public to accept the jab when offered it.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-56616119

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Source: The Guardian

Seven UK recipients of Oxford jab reported dead after clotting

Experts say numbers of rare blood clots remain low and benefits of Covid vaccine far outweigh risks

Nicola Davis Science correspondent
@NicolaKSDavis
Fri 2 Apr 2021 13.18 EDT

Further cases of a rare blood clotting syndrome including seven deaths have been reported among recipients of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab in the UK, although experts say the numbers remain low and the benefits of the vaccine far outweigh any risks.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), runs a “yellow card” scheme to pick up suspected side-effects or other concerns for medicines and medical devices.

According to the latest figures from the MHRA, there have been 22 reports of a blood clot in the brain called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) that was accompanied by a low platelet count as well as eight reports of other blood clotting problems with low platelets, among recipients of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab up to and including 24 March. Platelets are fragments in the blood that help it to clot. Of these 30 reports, the MHRA told the Guardian seven people had died.

However, such cases remain rare: the MHRA notes that by 24 March, 18.1m doses of the Covid-19 Oxford vaccine had been given.

There have also been two cases of CVST among people who received the Pfizer/BioNTech jab, neither of them accompanied by a low platelet count.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/apr/02/covid-further-rare-blood-clot-cases-found-in-oxford-astrazeneca-recipients

[Celerity]

1. plus it is more than likely a fail against the B.1.351 South African variant (only 10.4% effective)

AstraZeneca Vaccine Fails To Protect Against The South African Variant, Says Study

https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamhaseltine/2021/03/17/astrazeneca-vaccine-fails-to-protect-against-the-south-african-variant/?sh=7539a7be6526

Two doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine were found to have only a 10.4% efficacy against mild-to-moderate infections caused by the B.1.351 South Africa variant, according to a phase 1b-2 clinical trial published on Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. This is a cause for grave concern as the South African variants share similar mutations to the other variants leaving those vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine potentially exposed to multiple variants. This new finding should force a rapid acceleration of second-generation vaccines and encourage further research into the possibility of a pancoronavirus vaccine.

The trial evaluated the safety and the efficacy of the AstraZeneca vaccine in HIV-negative adults aged between 18 to 64 years old with a median age of 30 years old. The trial was conducted between June 24 and November 9, 2020 in South Africa using a multisite, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled approach. Out of the trial’s 750 vaccine recipients, 19 (2.5%) developed mild to moderate COVID-19 more than 14 days after the second dose, compared with 23 of 717 placebo recipients (3.2%). Of the 42 total cases of Covid-19, 39 (93%) were caused by the B.1.351 South Africa variant. These results demonstrated that the AstraZeneca vaccine was only 10.4% effective against the B.1.351 South Africa variant. It is important to note that there were still no cases of hospitalization for severe Covid-19 or deaths observed in the study. Yet the authors did caution that the relatively young median age of participants (30 years) likely influenced the lack of severe Covid-19 cases.

The South African B.1.351 shares similar mutations with several other variants. Mutations to positions 417 (K417N), 484 (E484K), and 501 (N501Y) are all located in the receptor-binding domain. This structure is the part of the spike protein that attaches to the ACE2 receptor of the human cell. The K417N and E484K mutations have been seen in the Brazilian and Japanese variants, and N501Y has additionally been seen in the UK variant.

External to the spike protein, there are a set of three deletions in non-structural protein six which also appear in the Brazilian, Japanese, UK, Nigerian, and New York variants. NSP6 is a structural transmembrane protein and these deletions additionally may assist in neutralization escape. NSP2 also carries a common mutation: T85I. This mutation appears in the California variant, the New York variant, and a number of other US variants. While NSP2 has no known function, the pervasiveness of the mutation is notable at the very least. In NSP12, mutation P323L is pervasive in nearly every variant. This protein is the polymerase, which controls viral replication. While it may not aid immune-escape, this mutation certainly aids increased transmissibility of the South African variant and others.

snip

[Emrys]

2. Since most of us in the UK group will have had at least the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine

(see earlier post here: https://www.democraticunderground.com/108820326 ), a little sensitivity when posting about it on this group might be in order. We're on this path, like it or not, and there's already quite enough vaccine scepticism around. And there are some doubts as yet about these findings. Another take from the British Heart Foundation, which describes similar shortcomings in research and gives a bit more context:

Is the Oxford vaccine effective against the South African strain of Covid?

A small study of 2,000 people in South Africa has shown that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine offers minimal protection against mild cases of the South African variant.

The study, which was based people of an average age of 31, shows that protection may be as low as 10%. The research wasn’t able to determine whether it protects against serious illness or hospitalisation, because this group of people were at low risk of serious illness. Other research suggests that the vaccine is still likely to reduce severe cases and deaths from the South African strain. More research is needed in this area.

Oxford University is working on adapting the vaccine to ensure that it protects against this variant, as well as other strains. They have said a ‘booster’ jab could be available by autumn 2021.

There are currently only a small number of cases of the South African variant in the UK, and the government has put measures in place to minimise community spread of this variant.

https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/news/coronavirus-and-your-health/covid-variant

It should be noted that the Pfizer vaccine also has uncertain effectiveness against the South African variant and more research is needed. That variant isn't believed to more deadly than the more common variants, but is more transmissible.

As for the clotting issue, it's tragic for those affected, but so is COVID in too many cases. I fancy my chances at 30 or 7 in 18 million more than I do continuing to have no immune protection against it.

[LeftishBrit]

3. Considerably lower risk than getting Covid

Last edited Fri Apr 9, 2021, 03:18 AM - Edit history (1)

And inactivity is a significant known risk factor for blood clots - which means that long-term lockdown could be much more risky even just in this way than getting a vaccine.

I had my first jab in March, with no worse consequences than feeling a bit tired and oversleeping the next morning.

At the moment, they are planning to give the under-30s the Pfizer or Moderna instead of the AZ, as they are at relatively low risk of Covid, and possibly at higher risk of clots.