Pittsburgh – A 65-year-old man has passed away from blood clots after receiving the second dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine.
Medics from the Allegheny Health Network in Pittsburgh have reported that an unnamed 65-year-old man developed so-called vaccine-induced thrombosis and thrombocytopenia (VITT).
VITT is a medical complication with an unusually low number of platelets, where cells cause blood to clot after a vaccine.
The journal Annals of Internal Medicine, which carried the report, noted that this is the first time VITT has been linked to an RNA Covid-19 vaccine, such as the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.
The same condition has been linked in the past to the University of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
According to the journal, the man had chronic hypertension (high blood pressure) and hyperlipidemia (high levels of fats, cholesterol, and triglycerides in the blood) when he arrived at the hospital.
“He had received a second dose of the vaccine ten days before the onset of symptoms. He had no known prior heparin (anticoagulant) exposure,” the journal noted.
The man had arrived at the hospital after experiencing a week of “discomfort” in both of his legs, intermittent headaches and two days of shortness of breath.
His chest scan revealed a “large” clot had formed in his pulmonary artery, which is essential in transporting blood from the heart to the lungs.
Deep vein thrombosis (blood clotting) was also found in both of his legs.
Despite the best efforts of medical professionals, clots formed in the man’s brain’s venous sinuses, a condition known as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. It prevented the draining of blood from the brain.
“He continued to deteriorate, his family elected to pursue comfort measures, and he died after compassionate extubation (removal from a ventilator),” the medics noted.
“In retrospect, this patient met the criteria for VITT or TTS,” they added.
The Moderna Covid-19 vaccine was approved after tests resulted in 95 per cent efficacy in blocking severe virus complications.
The medics have also reiterated that the benefits of being vaccinated far outweigh the risks as the virus itself is linked to life-threatening clots. /TISG
Read related: Pfizer, Moderna Covid-19 vaccines linked to rare heart inflammation risk, FDA says
Pfizer, Moderna Covid-19 vaccines linked to rare heart inflammation risk, FDA says