For the first time in modern times, a whole world is waiting to be vaccinated. And those developing the vaccines have really delivered. In a relatively short period of time, several brand new vaccines have been adopted and used.
All of them have been thoroughly tested before being used in large-scale vaccination programmes. However, rare side effects may appear after large sections of the population have been vaccinated. And that is exactly what has happened.
After being vaccinated, some people suffered a rare combination of symptoms
The scientists discovered that some patients developed a rare combination of blood clots, low platelet counts and an increased tendency to bleed.
The reaction was strongly reminiscent of a condition called heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, but none of the patients affected had been given the heparin drug. This gave the curious and eager scientists a lot to deal with.
Together with scientists at the Norwegian National Unit for Platelet Immunology (University Hospital of North Norway), scientists from the University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital found that the patients who fell ill after vaccination had the same antibodies one sees in heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.
On 9 April, the findings were published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.
The findings have received a lot of attention
The findings and further investigations have been noticed by both experts and laypeople alike. They have received a great deal of attention in the media, and the use of the vaccine has been thoroughly evaluated on a professional level.
“The Faculty of Medicine is proud of our scientists who have contributed to this important study”, says Dean Ivar P. Gladhaug. “This shows the importance of having strong basic and translational research communities that can utilise all the knowledge found in modern molecular biology at short notice to answer questions that arise acutely and unforeseen in clinical medicine.”
Contact
- Annika Elisabet Michelsen
- Ludvig André Munthe
- Geir Erand Tjønnfjord
- Pål André Holme
Read more
- Thrombosis and Thrombocytopenia after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Vaccination (Original article in the New England Journal of Medicine)
- • Norwegian AstraZeneca study: Extreme levels of antibodies cause serious side effects(NRK in Norwegian)
- “I can hardly think of more serious side effects” (TV2 in Norwegian)
- Link uncovered between vaccine and blood clots (Aftenposten in Norwegian)
- • AstraZeneca findings published in prestigious journal: Patients were between 32 and 54 years old (VG in Norwegian)
- “The findings are extremely serious” (Dagbladet in Norwegian)
- • Norwegian scientists say the blood clot findings are extremely serious (Dagsavisen in Norwegian)
- • Vaccine findings: – Extremely high levels of antibodies (Dagens medisin in Norwegian)
- Two New Studies Point to How AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 Vaccine Is Linked to Blood Clots (TIME)