COVID-19 Update, Tuesday, April 13th

J&J pause

Welp, the CDC and FDA have both recommended pulling J&J from the shelf while they investigate a possible link to cerebral venous sinus thrombosis with thrombocytopenia. This is a very rare type of stroke that happens most often in women under the age of 50. Typically we expect to see about 5-16 cases per one million people, and it accounts for about 1% of all strokes. Thus far we have seen 6 cases in women under the age of 50 who had received the J&J vaccine within 13 days of the event. There have been roughly 7 million people vaccinated with the J&J vaccine. One has died. The CDC has called for an emergency meeting of their advisory council to discuss the issue and review the 6 cases - that will be held tomorrow (Wednesday). Because this same issue is being seen with the AZ vaccine (which is also an adenovirus vaccine) it is being taken very seriously. You can read their joint statement here: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/joint-cdc-and-fda-statement-johnson-johnson-covid-19-vaccine

And the NYTimes did a great article on it that you can read here: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/13/us/politics/johnson-johnson-vaccine-blood-clots-fda-cdc.html?name=styln-vaccines-combo&region=TOP_BANNER&block=storyline_menu_recirc&action=click&pgtype=Interactive&variant=1_Show&is_new=false

If, like me, you got the J&J vaccine here are some things to know.

1. So far all 6 cases have been in women 18-48 occurring 3-13 days post-vaccination. Note this is the same population that it is most common in normally.

2. The working theory is that perhaps....perhaps the immune response to the vaccine was the cause.

3. Symptoms include: headache, blurred vision, fainting or loss of consciousness, muscle weakness or loss of control of part of your body, coma, seizures. Read more here: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/cerebral-venous-sinus-thrombosis

4. The current chance of this happening to you is only about 1 in a million.

5. Generally speaking, (meaning the guidance given irrespective of the vaccine) ways to reduce risk are to exercise, eat a healthy diet including lots of fruits and vegetables (including those green leafy ones) and avoid smoking.

6. If you have recently gotten the J&J vaccine, make sure people around you know so that in the event of an issue, they can alert medical professionals of this - it could speed proper diagnosis and treatment.

7. If you have a headache that doesn't go away, don't ignore it. Err on the side of caution and call your doctor.

8. You can register with v-safe (if you have a smartphone) and the CDC will do daily automated check-ins with you. (anyone who has been vaccinated can do this). It gives you a chance to report any side effects. You can register here: https://vsafe.cdc.gov/en/

9. Try not to worry....I know that isn't easy.

A VERY important note - the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use completely different vaccines and have had no significant health concerns reported - so this issue is restricted to the J&J and AZ vaccines.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Sometimes there is nothing you can do and doing nothing can be the hardest thing of all.