Is AstraZeneca vaccine safe for people who’ve had blood clots? Your COVID-19 questions answered

We’re restful answering your COVID-19 questions. Now we bear bought more than 71,000 for the reason that originate up of the pandemic. But vaccine questions are the fundamental theme lawful now. We submit a need of solutions online and additionally effect some questions to the specialists in the course of The National and on CBC News Network. Send your questions and tales to COVID@cbc.ca, and we will deal with as many as we are in a position to.

The AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine has been in the headlines currently over concerns that some people had been establishing blood clots after receiving the shot. Some European nations suspended spend of the vaccine, but many bear since resumed.

You’re going to be questioning what all of this means for you in terms of taking the vaccine. Here is what the specialists are announcing.

What are the most up-to-date findings on AstraZeneca’s safety?

A most up-to-date analysis from the European Union’s drug watchdog chanced on the vaccine is now not linked to an amplify in the total likelihood of blood clots. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) additionally concluded that some powerful advantages of retaining in opposition to COVID-19 — which itself results in clotting issues — outweigh the dangers.

At the an identical time, the EMA mentioned it can now not definitively rule out a link between the vaccine and particular, rare forms of blood clots linked with thrombocytopenia, or low levels of blood platelets.

WATCH | AstraZeneca vaccine is safe, says EU drug regulator:

The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is safe and doesn’t appear to dwelling off blood clots, says the European Medicines Agency, after a analysis by an knowledgeable committee. However the EMA couldn’t rule out a link to blood clots fully. 1: 22

Namely, it notorious 18 circumstances of an extremely rare form of blood clot called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), a situation that is a long way more total in ladies people than men. Many of the incidents came about within 14 days of receiving the AstraZeneca shot, and the bulk had been in ladies people below the age of 55.

In its investigative doc, the EMA mentioned it would search information from of to study real 1.35 circumstances of CVST in the timeframe it regarded at — but as a replacement its researchers saw 12.

“A causal link with the vaccine is now not proven, but is that you just shall be in a location to reveal of and deserves additional prognosis,” the agency mentioned in its findings.

All over the an identical time the EMA launched its file, researchers in Germany and Norway announced they had chanced on a mechanism that would perhaps perhaps dwelling off the AstraZeneca vaccine to manufacture the blood clots in very rare circumstances, as well to to figuring out a that you just shall be in a location to reveal of remedy for it.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public effectively being officer, acknowledged the that you just shall be in a location to reveal of link mentioned in an announcement on Sunday.

“It is that you just shall be in a location to reveal of that the vaccine will seemingly be linked with very rare but serious circumstances of blood clots linked with thrombocytopenia,” she mentioned.

General, Health Canada has maintained that some powerful advantages of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine continue to outweigh the dangers. 

WATCH | Advantages of AstraZeneca vaccine outweigh dangers, Tam says:

Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says some powerful advantages of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine outweigh the rare dangers. 1: 53

Meanwhile, AstraZeneca announced on Monday that scientists chanced on no elevated likelihood of clots amongst the more than 20,000 people who bought as a minimum one dose of the shot in a slack-stage gaze in the United States. The vaccine has now not yet been given the golf green light in the U.S.

The firm mentioned the gaze additionally confirmed the vaccine equipped great protection in opposition to illness and total protection in opposition to hospitalization and death all over all age groups.

Is AstraZeneca safe for people with a history of blood clots?

Amid the traits, many readers are restful questioning if having a history of blood clots intention they’re at a closer likelihood of establishing them after getting an AstraZeneca jab.

Some of the fundamental specialists we spoke to mentioned no, the vaccine is safe, even for people with a history of blood clots.

“Someone who has a history of blood clots may perhaps bear an elevated likelihood of blood clots at any point anyway,” Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an infectious illness specialist on the College of Alberta in Edmonton, mentioned in a most up-to-date CBC News interview.

“But I don’t deem that there may perhaps be a rationale to plot a advice in opposition to the spend of [the vaccine],” she mentioned.

Dr. Cora Constantinescu, an infectious diseases specialist from the Vaccine Hesitancy Clinic at Alberta Kids’s Sanatorium in Calgary, mentioned if you happen to’re restful insecure about blood clots, you wishes to be more fascinated by catching the coronavirus than the vaccine.

“For these who regarded at five million people hospitalized with COVID-19, it is probably going you’ll perhaps search information from of 100,000 to 500,000 of them to bear clots,” Constantinescu mentioned in a most up-to-date interview with CBC News Network.

“Preserve end into story the likelihood of the illness itself is so powerful higher, and the more you wait to [get the vaccine], the much less safe you are.”

On the assorted hand, Dr. David Fisman, an epidemiologist on the College of Toronto’s Dalla Lana College of Public Health, mentioned Germany’s information equipped a “compelling image” that the rare blood clots had been seemingly linked to the vaccine in rare circumstances.

“I gain myself in dissimilarity with Health Canada’s steering on the spend of AstraZeneca,” Fisman mentioned.

“I enact reveal that the spend of this vaccine wishes to be suspended in Canada except now we bear more information. At a minimum, I enact now not reveal it wishes to be outdated in ladies people aged 20 to 50 except all of us know more.”

Possess blood clots been linked with the assorted vaccines?

If the total payment of reported blood clots after AstraZeneca isn’t any more than the payment in the frequent inhabitants, a amount of readers, including Carolyn W., desired to understand why we’re now not listening to an identical issues with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

“That’s a broad request,” Constantinescu mentioned.

Via a blood clot, she mentioned, the numbers seemed an identical “all over the board” for the total vaccines, including the mRNA vaccines.

Constantinescu tried to effect the figures into point of view.

“For these who took five million people, it is probably going you’ll perhaps search information from of 5,000 to 15,000 circumstances of blood clots versus the 37 that had been notorious,” she mentioned. “So if one thing else, even in the vaccinated inhabitants, there gave the impression to be a lower baseline payment than it is probably going you’ll perhaps [have] in the frequent inhabitants.”

WATCH | Can AstraZeneca vaccine overcome blended messaging, mistrust?

Prime U.S. infectious illness knowledgeable Dr. Anthony Fauci says intervening time information presentations that the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine is 78.9 per cent effective total. 1: 05

There have not been any powerful stories of clotting in the course of the scientific trials for the vaccines, Saxinger notorious.

Many of the vaccine information has been “customarily equal in the vaccine versus placebo recipient group,” she mentioned. “And there with out a doubt hasn’t been a resounding inhabitants-primarily primarily based signal namely for [deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism] to this point.”

What if you happen to’re immunocompromised?

For these who bear bought an autoimmune illness or are taking an immunosuppressant drug, or now not it is seemingly an actual suggestion to focus on along with your doctor.

That’s because each situation is so assorted, Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious illness physician in Toronto and a member of Ontario’s COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force, told in an earlier article.

In frequent, the specialists we spoke to mentioned AstraZeneca may perhaps be safe for immunocompromised people, but we’re restful finding out more.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), which makes solutions about the spend of newly approved vaccines in Canada, notes there’s on the 2nd no information on COVID-19 vaccination in people who’re immunosuppressed, as they had been now not incorporated in the scientific trials.

“The anguish is now not so powerful a number of safety field,” Saxinger mentioned, noting that AstraZeneca is taken into story as safe as any assorted non-dwell vaccine. It’s likely you’ll perhaps read more about assorted forms of vaccines right here.

The exact field, Saxinger mentioned, is “whether or now not or now not your particular immune substitute will enable you pick up an fully protective response.”

“That’s where we’re restful finding out more.”

But despite the indisputable truth that immunocompromised people bear fair a itsy-bitsy much less protection than others, they’ll bear to dash forward and pick up the vaccine, she mentioned, because even a in part protective response in opposition to a excessive COVID-19 an infection is invaluable.

Constantinescu added that or now not it is seemingly immunocompromised people may perhaps bear booster doses at some point soon.

For these who’re equipped AstraZeneca, can you refuse?

Definite. No one is going to force you to catch any one vaccine if you happen to effect now not need it. COVID-19 vaccines are now not mandatory.

But that doesn’t mean you may directly be equipped one other vaccine. That depends upon upon the province you dwell in, Constantinescu mentioned.

For example, Quebec’s director of public effectively being has mentioned that people who refuse to catch the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine will seemingly be bumped to the encourage of the line and have to plot one other appointment.

And waiting will seemingly be unsafe, especially as some provinces are seeing case counts rise, Constantinescu mentioned.

“You are placing yourself in likelihood waiting for a outlandish vaccine when all of us know that this vaccine works genuinely effectively at struggling with hospitalization, severity and death,” she mentioned.

Possess a request? 

Send your questions to COVID@cbc.ca