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A rare blood disorder, thrombocytopenia, has been reported in 32 US residents after vaccination against COVID-19. One of these people is 72-year-old Luz Legaspi, who woke up one morning with bruises on her arms and legs. There is no evidence at this time that these problems are related to the coronavirus vaccine. Doctors, however, speculate that it may have played a role.
- After receiving the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, Luz Legaspi woke up with bruises on her arms and legs and blisters that were bleeding in her mouth. The woman was diagnosed with thrombocytopenia
- Newsweek: By end of January, of the 31 million people in the United States who received at least one dose of the vaccine, 36 cases of blood disorders were reported
- It is not yet known whether these complications are related to COVID-19 vaccines
- Doctors: Cases of thrombocytopenia are not a reason to avoid COVID-19 vaccination
- You can find more about COVID-19 vaccinations on the Onet homepage.
Thrombocytopenia after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine
On January 19, shortly after receiving the first dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, 72-year-old Luz Legaspi (originally from the Philippines) woke up with bruises on her arms and legs and blisters that were bleeding in her mouth. The woman was hospitalized, where she was diagnosed with thrombocytopenia (or more precisely, immune thrombocytopenia). It is a disease caused by the production of anti-platelet autoantibodies that shorten the survival time of platelets – thrombocytes, which play a key role in the clotting process.
When the senior woman was admitted to the hospital, her platelet count was “zero”. The standard ranges from 150. up to 450 thousand, and the value below 10 thousand. are considered very dangerous and require urgent treatment.
The consequence of thrombocytopenia is frequent bleeding from the nose and gums, as well as from the gastrointestinal tract and genital tract. Bleeding into the central nervous system, which can lead to death, is especially dangerous. Such a fate befell the 56-year-old obstetrician, Dr. Gregory Michael. He developed symptoms three days after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. After two weeks in hospital, the man died of a cerebral hemorrhage.
Due to the serious condition of Mrs. Legaspi, the doctors were concerned that she might also suffer from intracerebral hemorrhage. Especially that initially the treatment did not bring any results. – I don’t think she understands that she is like a ticking bomb – said her daughter at the end of January. After consulting with the hematologist Dr. James Bussel and changes in therapy, her condition began to improve. On February 2, the senior woman returned home.
By the end of January, the New York Times reported, 36 similar cases were reported to the government’s vaccine adverse event reporting system, VAERS – let us emphasize: out of the 31 million people in the United States who received at least one dose of the vaccine. The symptoms were observed after the administration of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna preparations, the only ones that have been approved in the United States so far.
Giving the COVID-19 vaccine causing complications? There is no evidence of this
It is not yet known whether this blood disorder is related to COVID-19 vaccines. The vaccination reporting system only shows problems that have been reported by healthcare professionals or by patients themselves following vaccination. It does not indicate whether the administration of the vaccine was actually the cause of the complication.
After reviewing the reports, officials from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. federal government’s agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, suspect that thrombocytopenia may be accidental – i.e. unrelated to vaccine administration which are generally considered safe.
The Pfizer and Moderna concerns also took the floor. “We take adverse reaction reports very seriously,” Pfizer said in a statement, noting that it was aware of thrombocytopenia in people who were vaccinated. «We are gathering relevant information to share with the FDA. However, we have not yet been able to establish a causal relationship with our vaccine ”.
In a statement, Moderna did not address the issue of platelet disorders, but said the company “continuously monitors the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine using all data sources” and routinely shares safety information with regulators.
Doctors: Cases of thrombocytopenia are not a reason to avoid COVID-19 vaccination
Hematologists treating immune thrombocytopenia suspect that the vaccine may have played a role in the onset of the disease. However, they stipulate that these are extremely rare cases, and their cause could be the unrecognized predisposition of the organism which, in response to the vaccine, triggered an immune response that destroys platelets. In the past, these cases have occurred in people who received other vaccines, especially against measles, mumps and rubella. However, they happened very rarely.
“I assume there is something that made people who developed thrombocytopenia susceptible to it. The fact that this happened after vaccination is well known and observed with other preparations, commented haematologist Dr. James Bussel to The New York Times. The scientist admits, however, that the reasons for such reactions in the body are unknown.
It’s important to share information about these types of cases, Dr Bussel points out, noting that sometimes the condition resists standard therapies, and if very low platelet counts persist, the risk of severe bleeding and even intracerebral hemorrhage increases.
Doctors agree that cases of thrombocytopenia are not a reason to avoid COVID-19 vaccination. The risk of becoming seriously ill from a coronavirus infection is much greater than the risk of developing this rare diseaseand vaccines are critical to managing the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Mrs. Legaspi’s daughter speaks in a similar vein. The woman emphasizes that the last thing she and her mother want is fear of coronavirus vaccines. Both women still firmly believe that they are necessary.
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- What is the risk of dying from COVID-19? “Without vaccines, 30 for every million Poles will die.”
- What medications are contraindications for COVID-19 vaccination?
- How many Poles were vaccinated against COVID-19 in the last week? How do we compare with our neighbors?
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