The Medical & Scientific Advisory Board of the National Blood Clot Alliance stresses the importance of vaccination among members of the clotting and clotting disorders community. The vaccines available in the United States, including the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines were shown to be safe and effective in clinical trials, and, following Emergency Use Authorization (EAU) in the United States and countries abroad, are in widespread use here and throughout the world.
More recent news about the AstraZeneca vaccine – which has not yet received Emergency Use Authorization in the United States and is not being distributed here – has raised concerns within the clotting and clotting disorders community and is being monitored closely by NBCA and its MASAB.
Some countries in Europe temporarily stopped the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine due to reports of blood clots occurring among a few individuals who had received this specific vaccine, while other countries in Europe chose to continue using the AstraZeneca vaccine following their review of the same reports and information.
Information regarding the AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clots continues to be evaluated by global experts focused on vaccine use against COVID-19, and this issue does not presently impact people in the United States seeking to be vaccinated against the virus that causes COVID-19 disease with the other vaccines available here.
Several leading international medical organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis, have issued statements about this matter. As noted by the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis with regard to the AstraZeneca vaccine, “COVID-19 is associated with a risk of hospitalization and death. The reported combination of blood clots and low blood platelets is exceedingly rare, and the overall benefits of the vaccine in preventing COVID-19 outweigh the risks of thromboembolic side effects.”
Statements from these organization can be read here:
April 7, 2021, World Health Organization Interim Statement About Astra Zeneca Vaccine
March 17, 2020, World Health Organization Statement About AstraZeneca Vaccine
For information about the vaccines being used in the United States, click here.
Read more here about COVID-19 and blood clotting, as well as the use of vaccines for COVID-19.
