Do I need to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine? Okay!

By Bobak Seddighzadeh

Sunday, May 2, 2021 | 2:00 am

After the temporary suspension, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on April 23 ended the suspension of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. It was put on hold for 11 days because it was reported that 6 women developed blood clots mainly in the brain. The total is mainly young women, which has increased to 15 cases so far.

After careful review of data from all cases and similar cases of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Europe, the FDA and CDC decided to revive the vaccine because the benefits far outweigh the risks. After all, of these 15 people, nearly 8 million are vaccinated with the J & J vaccine without serious side effects, and these blood clots are extremely rare.

In the face of a pandemic, there are still about 392 new COVID cases per day in Nevada, and only 27% of Nevada is fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, three of the 15 cases have died, and one teenager in Las Vegas needs brain surgery, leaving many still concerned. This raises the question: do I need to get the J & J vaccine even if the risk of blood clots is very rare? To answer that question, consider the evidence.

It can be difficult to conceptualize the rarity of 15 out of 8 million people. Looking at this, according to the CDC, the probability is about the same as the chance of a lightning strike in a year. Looking at the highest risk group of young women between the ages of 30 and 39, the risk of developing blood clots is only 11.8 per million times. Perhaps by not being vaccinated, the chances of getting a blood clot from the COVID itself are much higher. A groundbreaking study by The Lancet Medical Journal found that 21% of COVID patients developed blood clots, which were associated with a high degree of mortality at the time of development.

It is also important to note that correlation is not equal to causality. As many as 900,000 people develop blood clots each year in the United States, and 1,000 to 2,000 people develop blood clots per day. Therefore, some of these blood clots happen by chance before and after the timing of the vaccinated person, which can be mistakenly attributed to the vaccine itself.

Also, as research progresses in the past few weeks, doctors have gained a better understanding of the root cause of blood clots. Fortunately, there are effective medicines to treat this problem. The disorder, also known as vaccine-induced immunothrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), is likely due to an autoimmune response to the vaccine that leads to antibodies that activate the cells that cause coagulation, researchers say. I found that.

“Patients with VITT are treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), which is based on an early study of a small number of patients,” said UNLV’s Dean of Kirk Kirkorian Medicine. One Dr. Mark Khan explains. “In addition to IVIG, patients with VITT are treated with anticoagulants.”

Finally, the J & J vaccine has many advantages. Unlike Moderna and Pfizer, you only need one shot of the J & J vaccine. Many Nevadans don’t have time to visit twice for a shot or are afraid of the needle and want to minimize exposure to the needle. Another important advantage of the J & J vaccine is its storage method. Unlike Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, the J & J version can be stored in the refrigerator and can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 hours. This provides easy access to rural Nevada, where there is no sophisticated freezer.

So do I need to get the J & J vaccine if I get the chance? Okay!

The incidence of blood clot formation with the vaccine is about one in a million. The incidence of thrombosis with COVID infection has been reported to be up to 20%. “It’s much safer to get vaccinated,” Dr. Cahn reiterated.

How do you monitor these blood clots if you are vaccinated with the J & J vaccine?

“Symptoms of blood clots include swollen legs, headaches, visual changes, abdominal pain, chest pain, and / or shortness of breath,” Dr. Khan warned, reminding that VITT is very rare. I did. These rare blood clots most commonly occur 1 to 3 weeks after vaccination. If any of these symptoms occur in the meantime, seek immediate medical attention. This should not be confused with the expected benign side effects of headaches and body aches that occur 1-2 days after vaccination.

If anything, the fact that our chief staff has taken such drastic steps to assess this rare event is that the CDC and FDA have safely vaccinated and informed the public. Evidence of commitment. Vaccine, Nevada.

Bobak Seddighzadeh is a fourth-year medical student at UNLV’s Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine and a researcher on genomics, vulnerable populations, and health inequalities at the Harvard / MGH Center.