Oxford vaccine linked to strokes: One patient dies and two hospitalised after receiving Covid jab

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Doctors are now being told to look out for signs of the most common type of stroke following the Oxford coronavirus vaccine, after three British patients were admitted to hospital and one died.

Two women in their 30s and a man in his 40s suffered ischaemic strokes after having the vaccine. 

Previous reports of rare blood clots from the jab have specifically involved cerebral venous thrombosis – a rare form of stroke caused by the blockage of specific veins.

But this is the first time AstraZeneca‘s vaccine has been linked to ischaemic strokes – which is the most common type and occurs when clots form in other arteries and veins, blocking the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain.

Specialists from the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery at University College London (UCL) said vaccine-linked incidences were incredibly rare and far more likely to happen in people who catch Covid.

Nevertheless, they urged doctors to be on the lookout for classic stroke symptoms in anyone who had the jab between four and 28 days later. 

Signs include dizziness, paralysis of one side of the body, blurry vision, confusion and difficulty swallowing. 

Any such patients should be ‘urgently evaluated’ for a very rare syndrome called vaccine-induced thrombosis and thrombocytopenia (VITT), they said, adding that rapid diagnosis is essential.

The first of the three patients to suffer an ischaemic stroke – a 35-year-old Asian woman who later died – experienced an intermittent headache on the right side and around her eyes six days after having her vaccine.

Five days later, she awoke feeling drowsy and with weakness to her face, arm and leg. 

She underwent brain surgery to reduce pressure in her skull alongside other treatments, but these could not save her life. 

The second patient, a white woman aged 37, suffered headache, confusion, weakness in her left arm and loss of vision on the left side 12 days after her vaccine. She had several treatments and survived.

The third patient, an Asian man aged 43, was admitted to hospital three weeks after receiving his vaccination with problems speaking and understanding language. 

He received a platelet and plasma transfusion plus other treatment and remains stable.

David Werring, professor of clinical neurology at UCL and lead author of the report, said: ‘Although cerebral venous thrombosis – an uncommon stroke type in clinical practice – is now recognised as being the most frequent presentation of VITT, our study shows that the much more common ischaemic stroke… may also be a presenting feature of vaccine-induced thrombosis.

‘Of course, both types of thrombosis remain extremely rare, but doctors need to be vigilant if patients present with typical stroke symptoms [such as] face, arm or leg weakness, or impaired speech – due to a blocked artery any time between days four and 28 post vaccination.’

There have been 309 cases of major thrombosis with low platelet count suggesting VITT from more than 30million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine administered.

It means the chances of a blood clot from VITT after a Covid-19 vaccine is extremely low at about one per 100,000 doses.

It comes after MailOnline revealed a growing number of people are suffering from blood clotting disorders after their second dose of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine.

The UK’s medical regulator found 15 cases in people recently given a top-up dose by May 12, the most recent count, up from six at the start of the month.

So far 9million Britons have been given two doses of AstraZeneca’s jab, meaning the extremely rare clots are occurring in around one in 600,000 people.

Scientists told MailOnline it was ‘disappointing’ the extremely rare complication was becoming more frequent in double-jabbed patients. 

The clots — which can occur in the brain — are happening alongside abnormally low platelet levels, known as thrombocytopenia.

But the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said symptoms were ‘milder’ and less frequent than after the first dose.

As of May 12, the MHRA had spotted 294 cases of the clots in Britons given an initial injection, affecting about one in 80,000. 

The conditions were found to be occurring more frequently in young people, which has led to the British jab being restricted for use in under-40s.

Scientists believe in some people, the immune system sees the vaccine as a threat and over-produces antibodies to fight it. 

These lead to the formation of clumps in the bloodstream, which can become deadly if the clots move towards vital organs and cut off supply.

Around 15million people are still waiting on their second AstraZeneca vaccine, with millions of eligible under-40s yet to be fully inoculated.

The current guidance says younger people who had their first dose before the jab was restricted should come forward for their second.

Department of Health bosses do not provide data on vaccine take-up by age, making it impossible to say how many younger adults are booked in for their top-up.

It also comes after it was revealed that a 39-year-old British woman died in a Cypriot hospital after a blood clotting incident after receiving the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine.

Charalambos Charilaou, the spokesperson for the state health services, said the European Medicines Agency (EMA) would investigate the death.

The woman, treated at Nicosia General Hospital’s intensive care unit, received the first dose of the vaccine on May 6 in the resort town of Paphos on the western coast of the Mediterranean island.

The woman, who was not named, suffered symptoms days later and died over the weekend.