Did you recently receive the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine? If yes, get urgent medical attention if you notice any of these symptoms:
Blood Clots And Johnson & Johnson Vaccine-Things To Understand
- Shortness of breath
- Swelling in legs,
- Chest pain
- Persistent abdominal pain
- Easy bruising
These may indicate a rare type of blood clot perceived to be linked with Johnson & Johnson vaccine. If more than four weeks have passed after you received the vaccination, no action is required.
Experts observe that women below 50are at a higher risk of developing this condition. Even then the likelihood of such instances is quite low. Among the 1000000 people vaccinated, only seven developed this habit.
The FDA and CDC posted these guidelines after the agencies decided to restart administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine this Friday. They agreed to do so when an in-depth study came up with only 15 cases of the rare blood clot among the 8000000 recipients of its vaccine. The agency, after an elaborate study, came up with the following conclusion:
The benefits of Johnson & Johnson vaccine outweigh its risks. But women below 50 years of age should know of the rare events and their increased risk. They also should know of the other options available to them.
An unexpected pause in the mid-April had caused great confusion. On the 13th of April, CDC observed:
Six women in the age range of 18-48 developed cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, a rare blood clot. In this condition, blood clots in the area of the brain where it collects oxygen-depleted blood and drains it. In such an instance, blood vessels may break causing the leakage of blood into the tissues. This leads to the formation of a hemorrhage.
The patients developed the symptoms of this rare blood clot within 13 days of receiving the J&J jab. Five among these six patients reported headache as the initial sign of this adverse event. These symptoms may appear mild or moderate to doctors. When the condition worsens, the headache becomes severe. Persistent abdominal pain follows suit. Bruising and swelling in low extremities too accompany them.
Upon learning these cases, CDC recommended a pause for the administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine across the country. This gave scientists the time to investigate whether there is a link between the vaccine and the blood clot.
Johnson & Johnson responded to the request. It paused vaccination in all its clinical trials. The company, in the meantime, prepared to update its guidelines to assist both the participants and the investigators.
After the announcement, the agency’s investigators also found other nine such cases. All these cases were women and it happened alongside thrombocytopenia. This is a condition where the people develop low counts of blood platelets. These platelets are the colorless cells that help blood clot. CDC calls it thrombosis with thrombocytopenia. It also included the same in its modified guidelines. Almost all the cases reported were women below 50 years of age.
TTS (thrombosis with thrombocytopenia Syndrome) is a rare instance. And doctors may not know that they should not treat the condition with the common anticoagulant prescription named heparin. The drug may worsen the condition. Six women among the 15 patients who reported this rare blood clot received this treatment. No one died as of April 27. This is one among the reasons why the agencies moved so fast to recommend a pause in the administration of the J&J vaccine. CDC is organizing aggressive outreach programs to update doctors in this regard. They should know how to identify signs and treat them at the earliest.
Symptoms of these blood clots don’t have to cause panic. There are effective treatments available for the condition. Inform your doctor at the earliest and obey the instructions you receive.
