Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New Data Released On Rare Blood Clotting Cases After J&J Vaccine
CNN: Risk Of Dying From Covid-19 40 Times The Risk Of Rare Blood Clot After Receiving J&J Vaccine
The risk of dying from Covid-19 is 40 times the risk of developing a rare blood clotting condition after getting the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, a CNN analysis shows. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday it has received reports of 28 people who have developed a rare blood clotting syndrome out of 8.7 million given J&J's Janssen coronavirus vaccine. Three of them have died from the condition, known as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS). (McPhillips and Fox, 5/12)
Bloomberg: J&J Vaccine Leads To 28 Cases Of Blood Clots After 8.7 Million Doses
The 28 cases were identified out of 8.7 million doses of J&J’s vaccine administered in the U.S., the CDC said in a presentation posted online Wednesday ahead of a meeting of the agency’s immunization advisory committee. The panel will review the new data on the condition, called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome. ... All 28 confirmed cases occurred before the pause began on April 13, according to the new presentation. The median age of patients was 40 and their ages ranged from 18 to 59. Of the 28 cases, 22 occurred in women and six occurred in men. (LaVito and Griffin, 5/12)
Also —
The Wall Street Journal: Blood Expert Says He Found Why Some Covid-19 Vaccines Trigger Rare Clots
In Germany, one researcher thinks he has found what is triggering the clots. Andreas Greinacher, a blood expert, and his team at the University of Greifswald believe so-called viral vector vaccines—which use modified harmless cold viruses, known as adenoviruses, to convey genetic material into vaccine recipients to fight the coronavirus—could cause an autoimmune response that leads to blood clots. According to Prof. Greinacher, that reaction could be tied to stray proteins and a preservative he has found in the AstraZeneca vaccine. (Pancevski, 5/13)
In related news about 'mixing' vaccines —
CNN: Mixing Covid-19 Vaccines Tied To More Side Effects, Early UK Data Suggests
People who got mixed doses of coronavirus vaccines -- receiving a different vaccine type as a second dose than the first dose -- appear to be more likely to experience mild side effects such as fever, chills, fatigue or headache, researchers in the UK reported Wednesday. But the side effects following mix-and-match vaccinations were short-lived and there were no other safety concerns, the researchers reported in the Lancet medical journal. (Howard, 5/12)
