Woman in 30s dies of stroke after AstraZeneca Covid jab

A WOMAN in her 30s her died of a stroke after having the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine.

Two other people of a similar age have suffered the complication but survived – in the first three cases of their kind reported.

London-based doctors who described the cases in unnamed patients said the signs to watch out for include face, arm or leg weakness, headache or impaired speech.

It appears the strokes are linked with a very rare blood clotting condition already linked with the AstraZeneca jab, mostly in younger people.

Until now, it’s been thought these blood clots affect specific veins that supply the brain and stomach.

But these case studies suggest the blood clots may also affect major arteries, leading to strokes.

Experts stressed that the cases of stroke and blood clotting are extremely rare.

It comes as Brits younger than 40 are no longer offered the AZ shot after a change to the recommendations in light of the tiny clotting risk posed.

Instead they will be offered the Pfizer or Moderna jab to minimise the risk of serious side effects.

Headache was first sign

Experts, including from the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery at UCL, detailed the three cases of stroke that are understood to have occurred in the UK.

The Asian woman who died, aged 35, 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 could not be saved.

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.

In all cases, the patients had what’s known as an ischaemic stroke caused by blockages of large arteries that supply blood to the brain.

It is the most common type of stroke, typically occuring in people over the age of 55.

This is the first time this has been reported in people who have had the AZ Covid jab.

All three also had extremely low platelet counts, according to the report in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.

Blood clots with low platelet counts after vaccination have been named vaccine-induced thrombosis and thrombocytopenia (VITT).

They are typically seen in the smaller veins that usually drain blood from the brain.

But lead author of the report, David Werring, professor of clinical neurology at UCL, said: “Our study shows that the much more common ischaemic stroke, due to arterial thrombosis blocking blood flow to part of the brain, may also be a presenting feature of vaccine-induced thrombosis.”

Ian Douglas, a professor of pharmacoepidemiology at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine who was not involved in the study, said: “We now have some evidence that the types of blood vessels affected include arteries as well as veins.

“It’s important to stress that such cases remain very rare, and it’s certainly much rarer in people who have had the AZ vaccine than it is in people affected by Covid-19 itself.

“The description of the cases suggests the patients involved presented with the same kind of symptoms as already described… and they don’t suggest patients need to be on the alert for anything different.”

Look out – but don’t panic

The team said the NHS must look out for patients with ischaemic stroke within about one month of vaccination.

“Doctors need to be vigilant if patients present with typical stroke symptoms (eg face, arm or leg weakness, or impaired speech) due to a blocked artery any time between days four and 28 post-vaccination”, Prof Werring said.

Patients should be “urgently evaluated” for VITT because it needs to be rapidly diagnosed and treated with specialists.

There have been 309 cases of VITT from more than 30 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine administered, according to the medicine regulator the MHRA.

It means the risk is very low at about one per 100,000 doses.

Some 56 cases led to death.

Dr Doug Brown, Chief Executive of the British Society for Immunology said for comparison, a much higher 1.4 per cent of Covid patients develop a stroke.

He said: “Vaccination is still the safest and most effective way to protect yourself from falling ill with Covid-19 and we continue to encourage people to accept the offer of both doses of the vaccine.”

Dr Peter English, a retired consultant in Communicable Disease Control and immediate past Chair of the BMA Public Health Medicine Committee, said it isn’t yet proven the jabs were the cause of stroke.

He said: “People – even young people – have strokes; and we don’t always have a neat explanation for the stroke.

“It’s tempting to blame something they did shortly before the stroke (in this case the vaccine); but in reality, it’s often something that’s been going on for a long time.”

But he added that to avoid stroke, it’s best to prevent getting Covid by taking a vaccine.